Waco's Top Young Artists of the Year

From as far back as I can remember I have loved drawing and anything dealing with arts and crafts. There is something very therapeutic and rewarding about creating something with your hands.

My dad was very artistic and also enjoyed working with his hands. If you’ve read my hub about “The Clapping Monkey” you’ll appreciate his fondness for fixing broken toys and reviving discarded items. Daddy would spend time with me teaching me different drawing techniques. He had a fondness for being silly or whimsical in his drawings. His style encouraged creativity and he made sure I explored my talents. Growing up, Daddy worked for a paper company and there were always scraps of paper at my disposal. He also kept a container full of sharpened pencils handy. I was given every opportunity possible to be creative and he always let me know how proud he was of me no matter what I created.

This upbringing allowed me to excel in school art classes and I won a number of awards for my drawings and special projects in other classes. During my junior year in high school, I had begun to consider going into the field of graphic design since I had a passion for creating company logos. However, when I took accounting my senior year, I discovered I had a love for numbers crunching even more. In the end, I abandoned by love of art and majored in accounting.

Once my kids came along, I passed on the tradition of fostering artistic expression. I always made sure my kids had plenty of paper, pencils, and paints. I also kept a box full of small toys, blocks, parts, stickers, etc. for creating unique special projects. Both children enjoyed creating school projects, and artistic masterpieces of their own because they had everything they needed at their disposal.

Kevin was soon creating doodles, cartoon characters, and making small comic books while Michelle seemed more interested in crafts like jewelry making and other types of 3-dimensional art. Both Kevin and Michelle excelled in art class at school, with both of them winning “Outstanding Art Student of the Year” several times.

Kevin actually won his first art contest when he was only 4 years old. Over the next eight years, Kevin won numerous 1^stplace awards for his artwork in the County Fair, including two tri-color ribbons. He even won a junior high school contest to design a t-shirt for the school. Kevin died before he got to see his artwork printed on the t-shirts. The school added a memorial to him on the back of the shirts once they did have them printed.

Michelle is now a senior in high school and she has been named one of “Waco’s Top Young Artists of the Year” for 2010 and 2011.  She was one of 48 juniors and seniors from area high schools competing for 7 scholarships in 2010 and one of 43 in 2011. Her artwork was on display for both years for a couple of weeks at a Waco art studio called Studio Gallery. 

Of course I am extremely proud of both of my children and their incredible talent. I love watching Michelle mature in her talent and she too, is considering going into the field of graphic design, although she's more interested in designing album covers for CDs. She also has a passion for room painting and decorating and is considering interior design. Either way, she’s certain she’ll be utilizing her artistic talents and plans to attend the Art Institute when she graduates from high school.