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

I was in 6th grade when I really started getting into art. Doodling all over assignments and taking up entire notebook pages with characters, instead of notes about atoms and swamp water. My art was originally inspired by the YouTuber LavenderTowne and the show Voltron along with the wonderful fan artists for the Percy Jackson books. Covid forced me inside near the end of 6th grade. And with the added time I just dedicated more time to my interest of character design and traditional mediums. 7th grade was when I joined One River, and where I started my first actual art class. I ended up with Teen Focus on Manga, I stuck to it immediately. With so many like-minded teens inspiring me and wonderful teachers pushing me every week I started to warm up to my art and pushing my boundaries as a artist. During that time I also started getting into Anime and Donghua, with the likes of Haikyuu!! and Heaven Official’s Blessing. Along with diversifying my music taste, those media also changed my art style and the stories I wanted to tell with the characters that had been floating around in my head since I was 11. Now, I am 15 and going into 10th Grade at Lake Oswego High School, and am hoping to integrate art as best as I can with my learning and continue throughout High School and beyond.

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

My favorite project probably has to be the Paper Doll project. It was designed by my current teacher and was used to teach about fabric folds and pleating. It was done through Photoshop and utilized the layer tool to be able to ‘dress’ the character we drew and make multiple outfits and props to make is feel as if we were dressing a modern punch-out paper doll. It was used to teach about fabric folding and pleating. I enjoyed it because we got to research and use real-world fashion to inspire the looks for our dolls, making them look as if they leaped from the runway onto the page. Since I have an interest in fashion and runways, but not necessary the whole scene it was a very fun way to live vicariously through another interest. All in all, it was a struggle at first to get the clothing and folding down, but it still kept my interest it managed to teach me something I am applying this day to the art I produce on the day-to-day, But even though we were learning such a crucial and complicated skill, the paper doll aspect brought it back to my interests enough to keep me going.

Describe One River in 3 words and tell us why.

The first word I would use is Appreciation, even though I joined One River with little to no skill and training, whatever art I produced it was appreciated no matter the perceived ‘quality’. What One River had really managed to cultivate with both its staff and students is an appreciation for not just art as a whole, but for journey and creation of art. The skills learned and mess-ups and the little triumphs brought through their preferred medium. A love for the creation of a such a unique piece that could only be made by such a unique human being, as it is a piece of you that you put out there and air it out to dry. As One River takes it gently in its hands and shields it and waits for its opportunity to fly. Another word that comes to mind for One River is Diligent. Diligence is defined by being consistent in effort, having consistent care and conscientiousness for one’s work. Whether I am working with them, or being the subject of their work the employees’ at One River have been the nicest people, and have shown that they have cared about they students and staff. This was exhibited the most when I was actually going through the hiring process with them. I was going into a interview for the Teachers’ Assistant position there. After my short interview I was told by the manager that I was going to be hired almost based only on recommendation from my previous teachers. The manager said that she wanted her staff and students to be happy, and that she had heard so much about me. This isn’t a exact quote but, to paraphrase if I may she said, “I want my employees to work with someone they enjoy being around” And that sentence single-handedly spoke of so much care she had for One River, and the people she was tasked to teach and even learn from. The last word that comes to mind to me, although cliché it fits. The word is Sincere. The people that have taught me for almost 4 years shows a genuine spark for teaching that many lack. Every time they made a remark or comment, no matter how offhand it sounded they meant it and it felt like sweet honey candy in your mouth, because you knew that these people hold such love for the craft and the simple act of learning that they sincerely care for your learning and your art experience, be it little for small these wonderful people are unwavering the their love for the art of art, and the journey it takes us all on.

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

As someone who has been with art be it good or not, for almost their entire life art is a wonderful thing. It gives you space to put all the stories in one place, to settle the wild dust storm of your troubled mind. The paper and pencil console you as they let you use them for all they are worth and give them meaning beyond their own existence. So yes, long winded soliloquies aside. Art, even if you don’t think you are that good at it, art is a great way to get out so many negative emotions. But, it can be just beyond drawing a black skull, it can be making and drawing and thinking of a story of people you want to be, and want to hang out with. It can be a way to get away without even leaving the comfort of your own home. Art is a way to express and explore parts of yourself. Even if you are not the next Da Vinci you can still put forward the effort to create something never made. That is another appeal of art, you can make something that is uniquely you no matter the medium. Because no matter how ‘boring’ you still made that and it is as unique and perfect as you are as a person and as a whole of you parts. Art can take out those parts and smooth out the rough edges to have them back in smoother than before.