Known for his vibrant designs, Oscar Cahén delivers important messages about social issues in the form of playful illustrations and commercial art. His ability to convey emotion through form and color is truly inspiring. By capturing both challenges and aspirations, this cover illustration deeply resonated with me. My piece reflects my own journey of uncertainty and the internal struggles that many artists experience. In a world where our technology is developing rapidly, society often urges us to be realistic and pursue careers that are highly respected, like the woman in the painting and the three versions of herself: one reflecting her passion, another showing her art career success, and the last, walking out the gallery, uncertain and sacrificing her creative pursuits. Through confronting my own personal doubt, I also want to emphasize the importance of balancing both objectivity and subjectivity—the brain and heart.

–Jeanne Faith Breis (Grade 11, Notre Dame Collegiate, High River, Alberta)

One of the country’s top magazine illustrators and abstract painters, Oscar Cahén (1916–1956) rose to fame as a founding member of the acclaimed Painters Eleven—a group who broadened the scope of modern art in Canada by championing abstraction.