High school competition is no longer limited to the sports field, with the Continental League High School Art Exhibit on display in Castle Rock.

The Continental League comprises many of Douglas County’s high schools and includes Littleton, Gateway, Heritage and Regis. The schools in the league have long faced off on the sports arena and extend the competition to the fields of arts and music, said Jacqueline Shuler, chair of the Rock Canyon High School art department. Shuler’s students were among those who entered the 2010 art exhibit, on display through April 29 at the Outlets of Castle Rock.

The entries range from the three-dimensional in the form of sculptures and jewelry, to two-dimensional paintings and drawings, mixed media and graphic design. The project showcases the work of students who put in plenty of extra hours to visit and revisit their creations.

“It’s really exciting and really good for their self-esteem and confidence that they have mastered these skills,” Shuler said.

The participating schools submit 16 entries per school for the exhibit, which on April 19 – opening day – was judged by professional artists. The Best of Show honors went to Stephanie Biller from Regis. Her entry was a mixed media image of two girls on corrugated cardboard.

Each school selected a featured student for the exhibit, and at Rock Canyon that student was senior Kaitlin Zindel. Zindel has been studying art for three years and intends to add it to her list of classes when she begins her freshman year at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Zindel specializes in photography and sketching. She selected a scratchboard rendition of a wolf for her exhibit entry.

A scratchboard drawing begins with a piece of paper covered in black paint. The artist uses a tiny utility knife to etch a drawing out of the layer of paint. Zindel selected a photo of a wolf – one of her favorite animals – and worked on her piece more than an hour every day for about a month.

She nearly gave up at the beginning stages, when the face of the wolf didn’t look right, and she was certain she ruined the piece. She was prepared to throw away her first effort and begin again when a friend persuaded her to keep trying.

The time-consuming task taught her a lesson in patience and perseverance.

“It was quite difficult,” Zindel said. “I thought I had completely scratched away everything and messed it up. I just branched out through the rest of the picture and kept doing odds and ends on all sides of it and it turned out fantastic.”

Zindel was “ecstatic” when she received word her work would be Rock Canyon’s featured entry.

Shuler calls the Continental League High School Art Exhibit a celebration of teenage creativity and concentration. The exhibit has more than 200 paintings, drawings, photographs and art pieces on display during mall hours.