The Hilltopper Arts Magazine 22-23

Hilltopper Arts Review

Concept and Curation of Writing and Paintings

Danielle Carriveau

Photography Curator

Edward Gonzalez

Digital Art and Collage Curator

Shawn Reed

Cover Art

Yuan (Ivan) Kwon

Overall Magazine Design and Interviews

MyeongJin Kim

Interview Photographer

JungWoo Park

This is the third edition of the Hilltopper Arts Review. The purpose of this magazine is to honor the finest visual arts and creative writing by students at SJA Jeju. We hope you enjoy this third edition!

More Than a Ball Game

The soles of my shoes scraped against the gravel shards on the ground. Raindrops poured down from the clouds. As I trudged each step up the hill, I knew each stride made me closer. I grasped onto my basketball, like a bird protecting its egg from predators, tucking it between my elbow, hoping the rain wouldn’t swallow it. I thought my sweater would protect me from the storm, but it too had been conquered by the rain, dropping water behind me with every step. All this to play a ball game.

“How did I get here?” I thought to myself, but I did know how I got here.

It all started when the wind bashed against the windows shaking the entire room. I woke up abruptly and looked out the window; the usually loud road blooming with lights became ghostly. It was already quiet, but somehow the raindrops made it more silent. I rushed to the door as I picked up my basketball; the rubber had already been worn down and cracked, revealing the brown thread below. Even still, it was my most prized possession. I slowly opened the door so as not to wake anyone up and went out.

And now, I was crawling an endless way up as the shards of rain pierced through me. I finally turn around to look down. I trembled backwards as I realized how steep it was. A single fall in this empty void would be my demise. I continued to walk upward as I questioned myself. But I also came too far now. I turned around again to see what seemed like an eternal path down. I had to keep going. I started to tramp backwards uphill, thinking it would make it easier.

I kept ascending until I almost slipped over as the ground suddenly became flat. I quickly turn around. The haze blurred my vision, but my eyes captured the bright blue pole below the orange basket. The court was there. The rust covered them, the net was missing from the basket, and the paint was faded. But in this lifeless world, it stood as a beacon of hope. As I finally stepped onto the court, I felt something magical would happen: perhaps revealing the sun. But it didn’t. The rain refused defeat.

I dribbled the ball and shot towards the rim. I watched as the ball flew into the basket. Eventually, I stopped thinking about the rain as I imagined myself in a stadium filled with fans, hitting the game-winning shot and playing for my favorite team. The rain continued to pour down like a machine gun with unlimited ammo, but basketball was like a bulletproof vest. I tried to reminisce about the journey to get here, but my mind didn’t want to. It had already escaped the madness of this world through basketball. The pain was worth it to come to play a ball game; because it was more than a ball game, much more than a ball game.

Four years later, I don’t regret going to play basketball that day. It helped me realize that having a passion for something was incredibly powerful. Basketball was a portal to my own realm with the ball, hoop, and peace. It helped me escape both physical and emotional pain. In a way, it was like meditation, like therapy. I encourage you to find something you truly love, something you would find ways to do, something that brings you more than what it seems to others. Perhaps something that makes your mind live on a sunny field, even if there was a storm outside.

-- JiaMu Yue

Existential Crisis

He slew the wicked from the land, the heart, the eye, the greedy hand, that gorged and feasted till barren waste laid oozing pus through mind and haze.

The fog that withered paw and pine, the slow scattered slough of skin and time pressed down upon an earth too changed to maybe ever birth again.

Time is slow in winter’s midst. A hero’s faith must long persist, must pass through many hands and minds, must withstand the cleansing spread of time, must matter still when memory fades, must linger in the bones we lay back in the ground from whence we came till generations rise forth again.

To sing the grass and praise the sky, to dance the rain down by and by, to kneel and bow and know the soil, to share the work, the love, the toil, of repair and of repent, fragments of a history bent towards living back in harmony, with ground and sun and stars and seas.

But here we are, the ones who own. Here we start, with deeds yet done, still yet to learn the hero’s quest, still broken yet from east to west, unknowing what our hands can do, unbelieving of the darkness soon to singe with rising tide and fire, the future to which we must aspire.

When he discovers his next mission, Bravely pulling out his sword like a true champion, With little hesitation, must go forth with the quest, Killing the remaining evil with his very best.

In the cycle of death and rebirth, Destruction and creation on this Earth, Our descendants will thank our hero’s worth, For his courage in protecting our Mother Earth. In the cycle of death and rebirth, Destruction and creation on this Earth, Our descendants will thank our hero’s worth, For his courage in protecting our Mother Earth.

And here one secret still remains, a single word, spoken plain, there is no hero, he or she, beyond the hero that is ‘we’.

Should be our last environmental crisis.

-- Jian Kim

The Devil That was Once an Angel

A very very long time ago, two creature twins were born. But they were not the same. The first creature was the most beautiful thing anyone had seen in many years. The second creature was not. It was ugly. Unlike its looks, the beautiful creature had the heart of a witch. She was cruel and spoiled. The ugly creature had the heart of a saint. It was fair and kind. It always sought to protect, while the first born sought to harm and only raise itself up. The first born was given the name Angel the second was called Devil. Because of Angel’s good looks, it was loved all through the land. All creatures worshipped it. Soon Angel became the symbol of hope, peace, and love. Angel used this power. It used its beauty to control and punish. Devil was hated all around the land for her ugly features. But all the Devil did was forgive and help. It had the warmest heart in all the land. Even though it was tortured with hate, it never hated back.

Angel hated Devil. Angel would always try to hurt Devil. It would find ways to harm Devil. But Devil never hated Angel, nor did it find ways to harm Angel. Devil loved Angel with all its heart. One day, Angel asked for Devil’s help. Devil, being a kind creature, did not hesitate to help. As Devil helped Angel, Angel pushed her hard off the side of the castle and down into a deep deep, deep hole. Angel had dug a hole to the underworld and had pushed Devil into it. For years Angel tortured Devil inside the underworld. The once kind hearted Devil began to lose its mind. It would beg Angel to save it. Soon, Devil was not itself. Devil began saying things. Harmful things. Dangerous things. It would scream and scream some nights. The cruel Angel showed this to all the land, showed Devil’s bad side. The already hated Devil became even more hated. One day, Devil finally escaped. However, Devil was not right in the head anymore. It went straight to Angel and threw a knife in its heart. Blood splattered all over Angel’s clean dress. With that, Devil’s heart turned into a deep black stone. The kind-hearted Devil had now been turned into a monster. When Devil was found with blood and a knife, it was thrown right back into the underworld. Angel had become the master of heaven after it died. Devil was named the keeper of hell – banished for eternity, kind-hearted no more.

Devil had become a true monster.

-- Haerim Kim

Artist Interview : Jiamu Yue

Q. What is the most meaningful writing lesson you have learned from your English classes?

A. I think the most meaningful writing lesson is probably something that I learned from 9th grade from Mrs Lee. She taught us how to write descriptive, vivid imagery that would capture the reader as if they were experiencing the moment. I think the lesson really helped me to write interesting narratives.

Q. What was the background story behind the piece?

A. So the story happened about four years ago, and where I lived didn’t have any courts close by, so I had to walk about an hour to go play. One day it was raining really hard, but I went to play anyways. It was a really difficult way there, but in the end I felt that it was worth it.

Q. Why did you decide to write “More Than a Ball Game”?

A. Honestly back then I didn’t feel this story was anything special, but looking back on it now I realise how much effort I put into basketball back then, walking through the rain to play. That story made me realise how much passion I had for the game even though I didn’t realise it at the time.

Q. What is the main message of “More Than a Ball Game”?

A. Just for everyone to find something they’re passionate about and something that means much more to them than others. While basketball might just be a ball game to many people, to me it was more than a ball game and something that helped me feel a sense of direction and accomplishment. I hope everyone can find something like that for themselves.

Q. Of the stories you’ve written, why did you choose to submit this one?

A. I think of the stories that I wrote, this one felt the most personal to me because it was about something that I personally experienced and had deep memories about. It’s also the latest story that I wrote this year, so I feel that my skills are better compared to previous stories.

Rin Lee

Cassidy Poole

Myeongjin Kim

Kyubin Park

Chaewon (Claire) Lee

Cathy Cao

Hyunmin Lee

Cathy Cao

Rin Lee

Chaewon (Claire) Lee

Chaewon (Claire) Lee

Cassidy Poole

Myeongjin Kim

Artist Interview : Chaewon Lee

Q. What makes you continue creating artwork?

A. I find joy and fulfillment in expressing my ideas, emotions, and perspectives through art. By creating artwork, I’m able to deeply connect and interact with others through my artistic endeavors.

Q. What techniques or materials are you the most confident with?

A. I feel confident in using paint and color pencils techniques. In my AP class, I like to try out different types of paint such as acrylic, oil, and gouache. This allows me to develop the ability to express intricate details in my artwork in a vivid and captivating way.

Q. Who is your favorite artist? Have they influenced your art?

A. Arghavan Khosravi, a Stamford, Connecticut-based artist who investigates the aesthetics of historic Persian miniature paintings, is my favorite artist. Since I like her inventiveness and the stunning ideas that capture the atmosphere, I frequently get inspiration from her artwork.

Q. Much of your work has three figures present and seem to have a common theme. Can you explain your choices in the work you submitted?

A. In my artwork titled “Ice Creams,” I illustrate that despite living together under one house,my siblings and I each have our own unique preferences. This piece captures a common occurrence in my house, highlighting our distinct identities and individual choices.

Q. What was the most challenging part of creating these pieces?

A. The most difficult aspect of creating these artworks was finding the right balance of paint and spending lots of time. I tend to use small quantities of paint, resulting in a dry appearance in my artwork. However, I’ve come to realize that this approach doesn’t effectively enhance the quality of my pieces. Additionally, I have to invest a substantial amount of time in creating these artworks, so I did not have time to do other tasks.

Q. How do your pieces reflect your personality or your life?

A. I typically draw inspiration for my artwork from my siblings, who have influenced me a lot. In my AP class, I explored the theme of the bond between me and my siblings. This theme reflects my everyday life and interactions with my siblings.

Brooke Lim

Jiyu Lee

Sun Woo Yoo

Sun Woo Yoo

Myeongjin Kim

Soobin Jang

Ye Seul Kim

Liam Bhu

YuTong Wang

YeLin Kim

Aisha Minseo Cho

KaHee Lee

Artist Interview : SeungJun Lee

Q. What is needed in a photo for you to consider it quality work?

A. In my opinion, the primary factor in determining the quality of a photograph is composition. While this technique may seem basic, many people are unaware of what constitutes well-composed photographs. Adjusting the placement of objects or landscapes can achieve a completely different photo. Guidelines such as the rule of thirds, leading lines, and symmetry can all contribute to a strong composition. While a photographer does not have to follow every compositional rule, they serve as fundamental components of a successful photo. Additionally, I believe that a quality photo should possess uniqueness. This could manifest in the photographer’s philosophy, use of innovative techniques, or anything else that sets the photo apart. If a viewer can easily imagine themselves taking the same photo with the same equipment, it is likely that the photo is not particularly valuable.

Q. Who is your favorite photographer? Has s/he influenced your photography choices?

A. I don’t have a favorite photographer, but I’ve seen some pictures of a photographer Angie Mcmonigal in my digital photography class and follow her. She has a talent for capturing architecture and distinctive patterns in her photos. What sets her apart from normal people is her ability to produce unique photos despite using a common theme. Since high-rise buildings are rare in Jeju, I spent an entire day on Gangnam Street during my break. Though it was exhausting, it proved to be a valuable experience for me. Angie Mcmonigal’s work has taught me how to observe and take photos from a unique perspective.

Q. What makes your photography unique?

A. As a photographer, I bring a unique perspective to my pictures that makes them shine. I see beyond the cliché and strive to interpret it in a fresh way. While I don’t always take a completely different approach, and it is not always the answer, I always make an effort to do so.

Q. What about this photo made you choose to submit to this publication?

A. This is the best photo that I have taken. The intricate lines, enigmatic colors, and unique patterns make this photo one of a kind. I particularly love how the blurry lines at the top contrast with the sharp, detailed ones at the bottom.

Q. How did you create this effect in this photo? What does this photo express for you?

A. I adjusted my camera to a slow shutter speed and shook my camera on the crosswalk. These lines are the backlights of numerous cars. When I opened a photo exhibition a few months ago, I named this photo “Turbulence.”

Q. How do your photos reflect who you are?

A. I consider myself to be a very calm person, which is contrary to the chaotic vibe portrayed in, “Turbulence.” It almost feels like that image depicts a different version of myself, sleeping within me.

Jian Kim

JunWoo Yang

KaHee Lee

Dainel Choi

John Oh

YeLin Kim

YuTong Wang

Liam Bhu

YunHyeok Chung

Valeria Rubio Miranda

Liam Bhu

HaLim Shin

Soobin Jang

Thank you to all the students who submitted their excellent work.

Thank you to the Art and English teachers who fostered creative growth.

Thank you to the parents who supported their children’s endeavors. Thank you to SJA Jeju for providing a platform to show all this wonderful student work.

Thank you for taking the time to appreciate our students and their amazing skills.