Each month I will be spotlighting one of my students – past or present, and their artistic ventures! I work with students of all ages and abilities and you’ll get to learn a little bit about these amazing artists and their work!
Our May spotlight is on:
Isaac Clayton
I am a 14yr old homeschool student in the 8th grade. I enjoy art, soccer, spending time with my family and friends, eating, and the beach. I enjoy my church, have fun at youth group, and love to go to camp in the summer.
Pencil Sketch “This was just a rough sketch I made when I was working on more realistically showing movement in my art.”
How long have you been taking art lessons? “I started art lessons with Miss Jenell when I was about 9 years old.”
Why did you begin to take art lessons/how did you become interested in art? “When I was little, I always enjoyed art and crafts. As I got older, I started to work on more projects. One of the fun things I did with my friends was make up stories and illustrate them.”
What is your favorite thing you’ve ever created and why? “My favorite creation so far is my Mandalorian helmet. I made it out of just plain cardboard boxes, hot glue, wall spackling, and paint. I think it turned out quite well.”
Mandalorian Helmet “For this I used cardboard, hot glue, scissors, and wall spackling. I came up with the blueprint from some things I found online, and then scaled it to the correct size. After I finished, I painted it. For the visor, I used a covid face shield, so that’s kind of neat. I did this project during the shutdown, and I will always remeber that when I see the face shield visor.“
What are your favorite mediums and/or subjects for your artwork? “My favorite medium is just simple pencil and paper because I love to sketch. I also really enjoy painting and ceramics.”
Is there anything else about you that you’d like us to know? “I like cool t-shirts.”
Besides visual arts are you into any other art forms? “I really enjoy making costumes, especially superhero themed ones.”
Wall Mural “I was going stir crazy during the pandemic, and my mom wanted to repaint my room. I begged her to let me do a mural on one wall, and she agreed. This took me a long time to complete, but I love it! We went to Lowes and got several sample sized paints in the colors I needed. I sketched on the wall with my pencil first, then I began to paint. It was a long process, but it was worth it.”
What or who inspires you to create your artwork? “I don’t really have a specific thing or person that inspires my art, but some of my pieces are inspired by things I have seen or experienced. “
Why do you think art is important? – Why is it important for you? “I feel that our world without art would be boring. Art is fun, and it allows me to express myself even though I’m not a big talker.”
Do you plan to have a career in the arts? “I haven’t really thought that far ahead as far as a career in art goes. I want to be a missionary, but I’m sure that I could use my art in some beneficial way.”
Vans “I got into customizing my white vans. I did the first pair with one of my favorite shows, Avatar: The Last Airbender. I sketched with pencil first, then when I was happy with that, I used fabric markers to color them in. I used the same process with the Gravity Falls vans.”
Do you enter your artwork in any shows or contests? “I have entered two contests, and I won one. I have also had several pieces in the Ward Museum student art show.”
Is there a certain style, or type, of art that you’d like to someday try? “I’ve always wanted to get into digital art. I also think it would be awesome to use spray paints, kind of like street art or murals.”
Isaac takes his time, mindfully working on his creations with passion and determination. He always puts forth his best effort and focus into his work. It’s this perseverance and calm manner, along with openness to new mediums, ideas, & techniques, that help him grow and evolve in his artwork, and his humble personality is sure to inspire others!
I’m impressed by Isaac’s choices of perspective for his soccer sketches.