The artwork of Kaiylah Hanninen, a seventh-grader at Negaunee Middle School, was chosen from entries throughout Michigan to appear on the 2018 holiday card sent by the Lansing-based company SET SEG to its clients and employees

SET SEG is a nonprofit company that offers employee benefit solutions for Michigan public schools and their employees.

“We were amazed by Kaiylah’s artwork as soon as we saw it,” said Moranda Gowell, manager of marketing at SET SEG, in an email. “She captured our theme and created a beautiful, festive piece. We thought it was rather advanced, especially for her age.

“We also have a graphic designer on the judging panel and she noticed that Kaiylah had used several media to create her piece. We could tell she worked hard on it and we thought it would be the perfect image to represent us for the holiday season.”

This is Kaiylah Hanninen’s winning holiday card. (Journal photo by Christie Bleck)

Hanninen said that every year at the middle school, seventh- and eighth-graders make Christmas cards based on a chosen theme.

The company chooses the cards it believes best fit the theme, and then picks a winner. The winning design is put on cards that are distributed to the clients.

This year’s theme was “Joy to the World.”

Hanninen’s card shows a wintry setting of a log cabin, with smoke coming out of the chimney and Santa Claus and his reindeer flying overhead.

She liked the snow-covered evergreens she created, but as with many artists, believed one part didn’t turn out as well: the reindeer.

“They’re a little bigger than they’re supposed to be,” Hanninen said.

Since Santa’s reindeer exist in myth only, that’s probably not a major gaffe.

Reindeer aside, the seventh-grader appreciates the artistic process.

“What I like about art most is that it’s like a way to express yourself, express certain things that you feel or smell, really anything,” Hanninen said. “That’s what I really enjoy about it — just that it, like, gives people a way to express themselves in different ways.”

There are many ways for people to show how they feel artistically, but Hanninen prefers painting. She also likes traditional artwork involving pencil.

Her art teacher, Pam Jacobson, already sees great things ahead for her pupil, who is in her first year of studying art as an elective.

“She’s just phenomenal,” Jacobson said.

In addition to winning the holiday card competition, she said Hanninen won the Lions Club International Peace Poster Contest, plus her work will be featured in the Heikki Lunta Art Show sponsored by Negaunee Public Schools and organized by the Negaunee Knights of Columbus. That event is set for 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday in the gymnasium of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, 202 W. Case St.

“She’s just a remarkable student,” Jacobson said. “She can draw. She can work with all the materials. She’s just really outstanding.”

Hanninen now is getting ready for the upcoming art show, with her pieces being acrylic on canvas.

She also wants to try oils at some point.

“You’re good with watercolor too, though,” Jacobson told Hanninen as they sat together in Negaunee Middle School’s art room.

That could come with challenges.

“I like watercolor, but I feel like it’s harder to use, the techniques,” Hanninen said.

Jacobson acknowledged that medium differs from other painting methods, particularly if there’s even just a little bit too much water used.

“If you’re trying to paint something and you started it and you have to reload your brush, it could be a totally different color based on how much water and paint you have in there,” Jacobson said.

Hanninen plans to take her art beyond middle school and study illustration in college.

There’s certainly a good chance for that. Jacobson said someone from SET SEG, who helped put together the card set and teaches art at Lansing Community College, emailed her with this message about Hanninen: “One day we’re going to talk about her in art class.”

No matter what art media Hanninen chooses as her specialties, her teacher has confidence she will take her skills to another level.

“I think she has a career down the road,” Jacobson said.