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 July spotlight is on:
Ema Riggin
Hi, my name is Ema, I am homeschooled and in 11th grade. I like to read; romance and fantasy are my favorite genres. When I get older, I want to travel the world – Scotland is at the top of my list! My favorite season is fall, I like pumpkin spice lattes and sweaters!
How long have you been taking art lessons? “I have been taking lessons on and off for 8 years.”
Why did you begin to take art lessons/how did you become interested in art? “The pictures at the county fair inspired me when I was little.”
What or who inspires you to create your artwork? “Matthew Grey Gubler – he wrote and illustrated his own children’s book and draws a lot when he’s not acting.”
What are your favorite mediums and/or subjects for your artwork? “Charcoal & Clay.”
Is there anything else about you that you’d like us to know? “Taylor Swift runs my life.”
Besides visual arts are you into any other art forms? “I like to watch ballet, but I don’t dance.”
Why do you think art is important? – Why is it important for you? “I think it’s important because you can’t go anywhere without seeing it, like even if it’s a poster at the grocery store; it’s everywhere. It’s important for me because it’s a way to express myself in a colorful & fun way.”
What is your favorite thing about art? “That you can make anything with anything!”
What artist(s) from history do you admire most and why? “Marie Laurencin because she does abstract stuff but it still has a bunch of details and uses a lot of pastel colors. And she’s French!”
Do you plan to have a career in the arts? “Yes, I want to sell my own stuff and be able to do commissions for people. In addition to that, I plan to be a librarian.”
Do you enter your artwork in any shows or contests? “I do when we have art shows in class – like at the Ward Museum & when we show work at the Deli at Pecan Square.”
Is there a certain style, or type, of art that you’d like to someday try? “I want to try oil painting”
Do you have a favorite color? “Pink. But once it hits that red-ish pink, no!”
How long does it take you to complete your artwork? “I think roughly and hour to two hours if it’s a small piece, but paintings take more like 3-4 hours or more and I like to work on them an hour at a time.”
What is your favorite thing you’ve ever created and why? “Umm, one time I made a dollhouse out of a cardboard box – It’s my favorite because I really like fairies and making miniatures makes you realize how big you are literally and figuratively.”
When you’re making your art do like to listen to music or watch tv for inspiration (if so what)? “I listing to music; I like indie music, Fay Webster, Mazzy Star, and I also like Taylor Swift & Louis Tomlinson.”
Is there an aspect of art that you don’t like, and why? “I don’t like pop art – I’m note sure why…..maybe because I don’t like that it sometimes repeats the same thing with different colors.”
Do you have any advice for someone who wants to become an artist or improve their skills? “Draw all the time and whenever you wish you could draw something, just do it! Also, Pinterest is full of inspiration.”
What do you think makes a good artist and/or piece of art? “If you can be original in your artwork and show your personality.”
How has your artwork improved/what have you done to keep improving as an artist? “I guess that I’ve been trying new mediums and subjects that I didn’t do before & it opens my eyes to a different way of doing stuff.”
Ema really enjoys the process of creating – she comes to class full of ideas and is ready to jump right in! She has grown as an artist so much from when she first began classes; becoming much more confident in her work and not afraid to try new techniques or mediums! Keep up the great work and continue to create!
Check out our other student spotlights here!
Love reading about your students. Emma is right be original and draw for yourself first. Then create to please others.