Art is timeless and forever, and it’s everywhere throughout history and on the walls of Herron. Here at Herron High School there are many opportunities to expand and show your artistic abilities and knowledge: this blog highlights the many student artists and some teachers as well.

Artist: Priscilla Gomez

1. When did you start making art?: “in kindergarten.”

2. What type of art do you make?: “2D Art.”

3. What got you into art and why do you like art?: “Boredom-its fun!”

4. How does your identity affect your work?: n/a

5. What is your goal with your artwork? (who are you trying to impact and/or what’s your message?): “Myself, improve my skills and inspire others to grow like me.”

6. Who or what are your biggest inspirations/influences?: “My middle school art teachers, they gave me a lot of opportunities.”

7. What motivates you?: “Improving.”

8. What are you working on at the moment?: “I’m trying to get into AP Art, and a cat drawing.”

9. Walk me thru your creative process (what’s your routine?): “Inspiration, a rough sketch, detail.”

10. How do you know when your work is done?: “When I cant add anymore.”

11. What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?: “When I feel my art isn’t good enough.”

12. How do you handle criticism/rejection?: “I learn from it.”

Artist: Griffin Fenwick

1. When did you start making art?: “During freshman year in intro to 2D.”

2. What type of art do you make?: “3D Art (sculpture), and I used to do 2D Art and music.”

3. What got you into art and why do you like art?: “It’s nice to express myself and experiment with different materials, it’s also a nice break from school.”

4. How does your identity affect your work?: “Recently I’m trying to explore and express different parts of myself.”

5. What is your goal with your artwork? (who are you trying to impact and/or what’s your message?): “I want to make something I’m proud of and enjoy the process.”

6. Who or what are your biggest inspirations/influences?: “Ms.Chavez is a huge influence, shes guided me through the past 3 years, plus friends and family.”

7. What motivates you?: “I just really enjoy the process and I constantly want to improve, that keeps me going.”

8. What are you working on at the moment?: “Plaster slip molds, the theme is fish.”

9. Walk me thru your creative process (what’s your routine?): “I start with brainstorming using a mind map, then I make thumbnail sketches, then a more detailed sketch, then I start working on the piece itself.”

10. How do you know when your work is done?: “When I’m happy with it and when what I want to get across is there, or when the deadline comes.”

11. What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?: “The deadlines. School makes it difficult sometimes and it forces me to make the art smaller or rushed.”

12. How do you handle criticism/rejection?: “Its never easy to hear criticism, but I know it doesn’t come from a place of insult but of help.”

Artist: Finley Ward

1. When did you start making art?: “In fourth or fifth grade.”

2. What type of art do you make?: “Traditional (realism)”

3. What got you into art and why do you like art?: “A school club.”

4. How does your identity affect your work?: n/a

5. What is your goal with your artwork? (who are you trying to impact and/or what’s your message?): “Art is political, so displaying news and spark joy.”

6. Who or what are your biggest inspirations/influences?: “Frida Kahlo and my brother.”

7. What motivates you?: “The finished product.”

8. What are you working on at the moment?: “An oil pastel piece and a portrait with friends.”

9. Walk me thru your creative process (what’s your routine?): “I look for references on Pinterest, think about what tools to use, and sketch, moving through the reference going block by block.”

10. How do you know when your work is done?: “A feeling that I’m confident its done.”

11. What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?: “Perfectionism.”

12. How do you handle criticism/rejection?: “I’m down to be criticized but rejection is hard.”

Artist: Victoria Johnson

1. When did you start making art?: “First grade.”

2. What type of art do you make?: “Digital art.”

3. What got you into art and why do you like art?: “I liked watching cartoons as a kid, it inspired me.”

4. How does your identity affect your work?: n/a

5. What is your goal with your artwork? (who are you trying to impact and/or what’s your message?): n/a

6. Who or what are your biggest inspirations/influences?: n/a

7. What motivates you?: “I’m motivated by money.”

8. What are you working on at the moment?: “I’m soldering.”

9. Walk me thru your creative process (what’s your routine?): “I don’t have one.”

10. How do you know when your work is done?: “I know when my work is done when I’m actually happy with the final result.”

11. What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?: n/a

12. How do you handle criticism/rejection?: n/a

Artist: Zoey Cappuccino

1. When did you start making art?: “Fourth grade.”

2. What type of art do you make?: “Drawings and paintings.”

3. What got you into art and why do you like art?: “My mother.”

4. How does your identity affect your work?: n/a

5. What is your goal with your artwork? (who are you trying to impact and/or what’s your message?): “To have fun and help others have fun.”

6. Who or what are your biggest inspirations/influences?: “Success.”

7. What motivates you?: “Being bored.”

8. What are you working on at the moment?: “A painting for a friend going to college.”

9. Walk me thru your creative process (what’s your routine?): “I sketch it down in my mind first.”

10. How do you know when your work is done?: “When there’s nothing else to add and I can post it on Instagram.”

11. What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?: “Finishing stuff or being unmotivated.”

12. How do you handle criticism/rejection?: “I always ask, I’m positive and understand when I ask for it from my friends and my mom.”

Artist: Scout Hughbanks

1. When did you start making art?: “I’ve been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil, but I started playing guitar when I was fifteen and I picked up bass shortly after.”

2. What type of art do you make?: “I play bass in a hardcore band.”

3. What got you into art and why do you like art?: “I picked up bass when my brothers band needed a bassist, and I’ve kept up with it since.”

4. How does your identity affect your work?: “The kind of music my band plays is inherently political, and I think as a young person, especially a young woman, its important to participate in things and engage with art that subverts societal expectations and challenges morals.”

5. What is your goal with your artwork? (who are you trying to impact and/or what’s your message?): “I just want to play music with my friends and hopefully inspire others to do so.”

6. Who or what are your biggest inspirations/influences?: “I’m mostly inspired by my friends and family, but I’m also inspired by most of the art and media I consume.”

7. What motivates you?: “I think my main goal in life is to experience as much as I possibly can so that keeps me motivated.”

8. What are you working on at the moment?: “My band recorded an EP in November of last year and we are trying to put it out on a record label.”

9. Walk me thru your creative process (what’s your routine?): “Honestly this sounds bad but I usually try to rip off people that I think are cool or look up to.”

10. How do you know when your work is done?: “When everyone in the band seems content with it.”

11. What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?: “Maybe getting in my head and limiting myself, I think I could be more.”

12. How do you handle criticism/rejection?: “I try my best to listen and not let my feelings get in the way of it.”

Artist: Ms. Ambroise

1. When did you start making art?: “As soon as I could hold a pencil, I also won an award in kindergarten.”

2. What type of art do you make?: “All types of art but painting is my absolute favorite.”

3. What got you into art and why do you like art?: “My brain is naturally inclined.”

4. How does your identity affect your work?: n/a

5. What is your goal with your artwork? (who are you trying to impact and/or what’s your message?): “My goal is to enjoy making art for myself but its an added benefit if someone likes it.”

6. Who or what are your biggest inspirations/influences?: “Lots of different art forms. And Caravaggio, an Italian baroque artist; I saw a painting by him in a museum and it caught my eye.”

7. What motivates you?: “Sometimes I struggle with motivation but discovering something new or learning and practicing new techniques helps.”

8. What are you working on at the moment?: “A collaboration with psychologists and its about empowering women.”

9. Walk me thru your creative process (what’s your routine?): “It depends on what I’m making, I make a lot of art or sometimes I research and research photography.”

10. How do you know when your work is done?: n/a

11. What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?: “Creating. It’s not an easy thing to do and it takes your brain and heart to do it.”

12. How do you handle criticism/rejection?: “it’s still a work in progress.”

Artist: Ms. Chavez

1. When did you start making art?: “Art has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. One of the first making experiences that I remember is from summer camp learning how to weave baskets and throwing on the wheel. I was probably in the 7th grade. I loved the feeling of creating something and having a tangible object to show my development.”

2. What type of art do you make?: “One of the amazing things about my job is that I get to explore and try all types of art and art mediums. I have taught painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, and ceramics. I am always looking for new things to bring to my students and try out. In my personal life, I am currently honed in on oil painting, but given more space I would also pursue ceramics, especially wheel throwing.”

3. What got you into art and why do you like art?: “For me, art is where I can fully achieve the flow state. I lose myself in the work and the art of creation.”

4. How does your identity affect your work?: “Each thing I create helps me explore different aspects of my identity. From learning what kind of aesthetics I like, to creating art that helps me work through heavy and difficult things, art is a vehicle for inner reflection.”

5. What is your goal with your artwork? (who are you trying to impact and/or what’s your message?): “I am currently making art for myself or my family. So I suppose my audience is them, but my goal is to try to make art that brings comfort, beauty, and joy to those I love.”

6. Who or what are your biggest inspirations/influences?: “You can find inspiration anywhere if you are looking for it. That is one of the beautiful things about art, the ability to open your eyes to observing things in a new way.”

7. What motivates you?: “Motivation comes in so many forms, from being inspired by things I see, to a desire to learn a new skill, to finding something to do for myself or others. When motivation is lacking, the practice and habit of creation can help reignite it.”

8. What are you working on at the moment?: “Oftentimes during the school year I am working on creating new lessons, new projects, examples etc… Each unit I teach helps to inspire the urge to create. In the summer I create more art for myself. I am currently working on an oil painting at home using the grisaille painting technique. You create the painting in monochrome shades and then use layers of transparent glazes to add color. This technique creates this really beautiful luminescent quality in the work.”

9. Walk me thru your creative process (what’s your routine?): “This one is tough because it really depends on what medium I am working with but regardless I tend to have a general routine of tidying up my space before, during, and after my creative session. The organization of chaos helps to get my brain in the right headspace and allows me to “lock in” better. Now in between those moments, when the flow state has been achieved, things are being laid down all over the place with little regard for organization.”

10. How do you know when your work is done?: “Creating art can be like a conversation between the artist and the piece, sometimes the work will tell you when it is done, other times it’s a bit more nuanced to really determine when it is finished. When those moments of uncertainty occur I will set the piece aside and revisit it at a later date. It is amazing what time and space away from your work can allow you to see or forget about (in terms of miniscule mistakes that before seemed monumental).”

11. What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?: “Being a teacher artist is a challenge in and of itself. It is difficult to find time and energy to create my own work during the school year as my energy is focused in other directions.”

12. How do you handle criticism/rejection?: “It definitely depends on the delivery but most often critique is an opportunity to push my work and revisit areas that may not be quite right yet. Rejection is not really something I face currently as I am not a showing artist, but I just try to keep in mind that rejection is a natural part of this business and just because one person says no doesn’t mean that everyone will. Getting older has also helped with confidence and a general self-assurance.”