VCHS Art Students Paint Portraits for Cambodia

Advanced Drawing and Painting students at Valley Central High School created hand-painted portraits for children in Cambodia, sending the finished artwork in March.

Teachers Ms. Langlitz and Ms. Machuca guided students through the Memory Project, which pairs young artists with children in orphanages and schools internationally. Students received photographs of Cambodian children in the fall and spent months translating the images into paintings that captured individual features and expressions.

A video of the delivery shows the Cambodian children holding up their portraits with visible excitement upon seeing themselves depicted by students thousands of miles away.

For the recipients, many of whom have limited personal belongings, the custom paintings serve as both artwork and personal recognition.