Memories of High School Art Class

When I got to High School, my favorite classes were my visual art classes. I was also in band, but honestly it was a bit more stressful with all the pressure of practicing and performing. The art room was my safe space. I was a very good student, and although my work definitely was very amateur, I showed my teachers that I was dedicated and willing to work hard to accomplish my assignments. This paid off dividends. I was told I could come in any time before or after school to work in the back room on my art projects.

My teachers also gave me quite a bit of free reign to choose some of my art projects. Three projects in particular that I remember choosing were: making a mug out of clay, carving a ring out of wax and getting it cast into silver and (my favorite) working on a very rudimentary drafting software to design a house plan and convert it to 3D image. It was so fun! I loved art so much back then, and I really feel like that was just the seed that was being planted inside of me. I had no plans or intentions of majoring in art at that point. It never crossed my mind that I could have a job related to art either. Perhaps it is why I am so passionate about encouraging others to created and find their personal connection to art because it truly has changed my life in so many ways. I know that having some freedom to create what I wanted to was so nurturing to my creative soul. If you could create anything, in any medium, what would you choose?

Graphite portrait of my dad when he was about 3 years old

I drew it in high school in 1999