Tell us a little bit about your journey as a young and developing artist.

I started carrying a sketchbook around in 3rd grade. Everyone thought my art was weird at the time, but I just kept drawing. In 7th grade I became the resident artist, known for doing work for the school mural. I took a couple of One River classes and camps and have improved over the years. I am now in 8th grade!

Which has been your favorite project to work on at One River and why?

The Digital Character Design project I did at One River’s summer camp! I did it and everyone thought it was amazing. It snowballed into the best project ever. I was surprised to hear it would be featured in a show at Scoops Ice Creamery in Scotch Plains. It was nice celebrating everyone’s art and sharing ice cream with family and friends!

Describe One River in 3 words and tell us why.

Thoughtful, freeing, and constructive. When I’m at One River I can forget about all the stresses of life and focus on having fun making art. The teachers are really nice and I’ve improved a lot since I started coming.

What would you tell people who’ve never dabbled in art making are the real benefits to trying it?

It’s really fun to express yourself with something other than words. If you really enjoy it you will be surprised with how far you can grow!