Da Mata's "In a Deafening Tone"

December 10, 2025 - Liv D'Alessandro

“We have this inner voice. All of us do. A little narrative. Whether you hear it or not. All of us have a conscience of some sort…Oftentimes, we like to say other people’s words affect us. But in reality, the person who hurts us the most is ourselves.” - Georgia Da Mata, 11

Visual art has a way of connecting with people. Seeing a feeling on a canvas we could never describe with words is beautiful. It is why certain painters are admired more than others. Van Gogh’s bold, vivid colors capture the inner life of his objects. His audience feels his pain, hope, and sorrow. Frida Kahlo displays her Mexican heritage with cultural symbols and vibrant colors in her paintings. Through her brushwork, you can see her unique experiences and how they shape her identity. 

Profound pieces are vulnerable. And here at Hough, there’s an art student who deserves recognition for her prodigious and honest oil works.

The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers runs the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, the “nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens.” Its jurors consist of foremost leaders in the visual and literary arts. All entries in the program are considered regionally in four award categories: Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention. Winning a Gold Key means your work is recognized as one of the top regional submissions and automatically advances to national judging. At the national level, these Gold Key-winning pieces are judged against each other for a chance to win a National Gold or Silver Medal and possibly a scholarship.

Georgia Da Mata is an eleventh-grade AP student at Hough. She is Vice President of our school's National Art Honor Society and, notably, a four-year winner of the Gold Key Scholastic Art and Writing Award. In her name, she holds one national Silver Medal, two Silver Keys, six Honorable Mentions, and five Gold Keys.

DEEP DIVE

“In a Deafening Tone” (see image down below) won her Gold for the year 2024-2025. When asked in a student-led interview if she knew the piece would be a regional win during the submission process, she explains it is natural for her to submit to Scholastic and not think about the outcome–“I don’t expect anything, and I appreciate anything.” 

The piece was a part of her AP 2D Art Portfolio for the College Board. 

An AP student’s Art Portfolio has a topic proposition or question, which guides the portfolio. Up to 15 pieces, along with a corresponding description about materials used, intentional marks, mediums (types of art), thought processes, and emotions meant to be felt for each piece, are submitted.

Da Mata focuses on self-exploration as an overarching theme within her entire portfolio. She answers the question: How can I help others to better understand themselves through my personal experiences? “In a Deafening Tone” reflects negative self-talk like the little devil on our left shoulder, or the large red shadow that resembles a version of ourselves that talks down to us. 

Constant degrading of oneself, even comically, builds a certain mindset that shapes how you move as a person. When asked how she moves as a person, Da Mata answers with intention and care. 

For Georgia, that internal voice spouts self-doubt, which redirects any purpose you set for yourself. It leads to a different purpose you don’t want. In her eyes, the image depicts how vulnerable one becomes without said purpose. 

“This piece shows the vulnerability that one has when subjected to their own thoughts.” - Da Mata.

While the piece appears negative, it serves as a reminder for Da Mata that the objective she sets is her choice today, and hers only. Da Mata makes her own outcome. The piece no longer represents who she is now, but embodies who she once was.

TITLE

“In a Deafening Tone” is a juxtaposition between Tinnitus and negative internal monologue.  Tinnitus is a symptom of hearing loss that causes a ringing in one's ears. Similar to the obstructive slur of words we feed ourselves.

COLOR

Da Mata goes for a monochrome palette of colors. Artists use a value scale when a work has limited colors. It is a range of tones from light to dark, starting from white to black. “Value” depicts light and shadows, which the scale demonstrates by creating the illusion of depth and making an object appear three-dimensional.

With the dark features, red is eye-catching against the gray, while also demonizing the inner voice.

Additionally, due to Da Mata painting under a time crunch, she admits it's simply easier to work with fewer colors. Ha. 

Surprisingly, Da Mata disliked her original version of the painting. She sketched it on a canvas, and from there it was a process of remediation and revision until the final piece became what it is now. She explains that the procedure is slow, involving a lot of sketching on a canvas and long hours dedicated to painting. 

THE RING

For the most part, the red hue depicts our inner voice, and the gray represents our complex, actual self. However, if you notice, the red figure on the left wears a gray ring on her ring finger. The artist, Da Mata, chose this purposefully to symbolize the idea that we’re married to our own consciousness. 

Georgia says, “As we are married to the good in ourselves, we are married to the bad.” 

The subtle inclusion of the ring suggests that our perspective and mindset dictate the quality of our life and experiences.  

Renowned psychotherapist C.G. Jung’s school of thought is tied to the aforementioned concept from Da Mata’s painting. Jung’s psychology is rooted in the idea, “until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate.”

The plain ring is the sole accessory in the painting. Da Mata does this for the purpose of avoiding a biased assumption that audience members might hold toward the piece. 

“And that's something, at least for me, I take into account with all my pieces–what biases others might impose onto the piece. And it's all biased. 100% biased. 
How you look at a piece is your bias. But oftentimes…I take out a lot of details. 
I take out a lot of the rings in my pieces for that very reason. I don't want people to look at jewelry or see things I have and start associating them with something else.” 

How people view her art runs through Da Mata’s mind as she assembles her pieces. You may not think of it, but small details shape your mindset. 

“This (adding the ring) is the most I would ever guide the viewer, in terms of wanting them to think of a certain thing (in her painting). I want them, the viewer, to look at the piece and think emotionally about themselves. Not about the people in the piece. And by adding jewelry to the ear, I don't want any inclinations of status to come in or things like that. So I took that away.” - Georgia Da Mata.

The absence of extravagant jewelry and accessories is to humanize the person to be anyone, to be you. 

Da Mata doesn’t want people to think about what Georgia Da Mata was thinking about: “I want them to reflect on themselves.” 

Take a moment to observe “In a Deafening Tone” for yourself.

Art connects us. It connects us with other people and, most importantly, with ourselves. 

Talented young artists, like Georgia Da Mata, are changing the world one paint stroke at a time. She creates with passion, inspiring with purpose. Whispering to us that art moves us and creativity lives in us all.