By Jill Scofield

Grand Prize Winner - Matthew Ronan
City College of San Francisco

Since 2007, the College Seen photo contest has provided a creative outlet for thousands of California Community College students, who enter the contest to display their talents while vying for prizes of cash and Adobe software. This year's contest proved that as the contest grows in popularity, the level of competition increases. Over 442 individual entries were submitted this year, but of those, only one was able to take the grand prize. 

The top honors went to City College of San Francisco student Matthew Ronan, who received $500 and an Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium package, courtesy of Adobe®, for his unique self-portrait, which combines two of his artistic passions: photography and pyrography, or the art of burning images into wood.

Ronan's grand prize-winning photo was taken for one of his community college classes as part of a portrait assignment. It not only earned him the top honors in College Seen, but accolades from his photography professor, who is encouraging Ronan to continue pursuing the arts into the future. 

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Matthew Ronan and his wife journeyed to California in 2006 for a fresh start and new experiences. After making a home in San Francisco, Ronan's wife encouraged him to find an outlet for his creativity and artistic talent. He took an Adobe Illustrator class at the local community college, and found the path to his future he had been looking for.

After one class at City College of San Francisco, Ronan claims that he "loved it," and went on to take additional courses. "After that, I decided to take more classes the next semester, including music, acting, English, just to experience different things. I have an eclectic taste and interest."

Ronan's educational path isn't carved in stone, but it centers on one core theme: creating. While he is unsure of the specific field he'd like to explore, he knows it will have to be in the arts for him to be fulfilled. "I am still not 100 percent certain on what exactly what I want to do long-term, but it’s going to be something creative. And something where I can feel like I’m not stuck in a rut doing the same thing over and over."

Ronan enjoys all forms of artistic expression, but it is his pyrography that he is perhaps most passionate about. His canvas consists of pieces of driftwood he finds during his walks along the beaches of San Francisco. He then burns images into the driftwood, such as the one he burned for his self portrait. 


"I relate to driftwood, as it is a scrap of wood tossed aside, with rough edges smoothed by wind and water, sources that are greater than the wood... Each piece of driftwood, like people, is one-of-a-kind, and not mass-produced or manufactured."


Ronan uses driftwood for a number of projects, from the image used in his self-portrait, to creating necklaces and other jewelry. Each piece is as unique as the medium on which it is created. "When I go to the beach in search of driftwood, I don't know what shapes and forms I will find.  I may find something amazing, or I may not find much at all, but there is an appeal in experiencing the unknown, the surprise, and exploring."

While Ronan is still not certain where his educational path will lead him in the long-term, he is eager to continue his studies at CCSF, citing its affordability and educational quality as the reasons that have enabled him to continue on that path . "I'm so thankful that I can go to a community college and have a good education and not have piles of debt, or take on a full time job just to be able to afford it," he said of his experience at CCSF. "I'm able to get a quality of education that I think is above and beyond what most community colleges in other parts of the country can offer."

 

First Place Winners
The panel of judges, which included several photography professors, faced some tough decisions as they evaluated the entries to narrow down the pool to just seven winners. In addition to Ronan, six community college students received first place in separate categories, all selected based on their visual impact, technical execution, style, and category relevancy. Click on a photo below to see the caption.
 

Related Links:
College Seen Photo Contest
Matthew Ronan