It's the time of year when we think of our students as they graduate. The Artisans of Mancos would like to encourage young people to consider a career in art. It is with that sense of hometown pride that we introduce and celebrate three local art students whom are part of the graduating classes of 2015.
Dolores High School student Kristin Campbell has plans to attend Colorado University in Denver and obtain her Fine Arts degree after her 2015 graduation. Campbell was recently nominated as a young and upcoming artist from our area to the Artisans of Mancos by her instructor Jay Anderson. Anderson believes Campbell to have unlimited potential in the area of fine arts.
"I love color and enjoy working in pencils the most," Campbell said.
She has been attending Dolores High School since her sophomore year and commutes from Cortez daily. When she was young she enjoyed coloring in coloring books. This led to drawing princesses, which developed into something deeper and more passionate which can be seen in her work today.
Campbell is the daughter of Wendy and Eric Campbell.
Drew Miller is a senior at Montezuma-Cortez High School and was selected by her art teacher, Darnell Bane, as an outstanding senior art student. She has spent the entirety of her young life in Cortez. Miller has loved art and showed a passion for it at an early age, "as long as she can remember," she said. She recounts a story of when she was in third grade, and her mother and teacher were astounded when she drew a picture of herself and it was so detailed that she included kneecaps on her legs. She stated that she has always been a perfectionist in her detail. Her teacher was so impressed that she suggested that Miller attend a special art school for a young prodigy. It appears that she comes by her talent naturally. Her mother is also an artist and does all the artwork for the Main Street Brewery in Cortez. She illustrates the bottle labels as well as the advertising illustrations.
Miller works in a variety of medium including acrylic and watercolor paints, pastels, and Prisma colored pencils. Her influences are her mom, nature, and her own unique way of" seeing the world." She includes some element of nature in all of her drawings. After graduation, Miller plans to pursue a career in art. She has applied to the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia where she plans to study animation. She chose animation because it gives her the opportunity to combine her love of drawing with writing. Her dream job is to be an animator and writer for Pixar.
It doesn't take long when you ask around at the Mancos High School, for a recommendation on an artist with talent for Maya Bonde's name to be dropped. Bonde has lived in Mancos for almost 10 years and is the daughter of Celeste Aurorean and Thomas Bonde. If you listen close you'll hear a slight Massachusetts accent, from her birthplace.
Bonde was encouraged as a young artist by her mother Celeste to draw and sketch. Soon she found herself with giant sets of water color paints and pencils. Much supplied by her grandmother, the recipient and keeper of Maya's original childhood masterpieces. Her summers are spent at her grandparents lake home, where she is inspired to paint.
Maya believes, "Art is an expression in everyone's life".
She likes abstract art, geometric designs and works with mediums like colored pencils and acrylics. Miller is a member of the Junior Firefighters and aspires to be a Flight Nurse someday. Her next step is to attend Northern Arizona University, where she has received a four-year scholarship for nursing this fall. In order to prepare for college she has been taking classes through Pueblo Community College.
Artwork from all three young artists is now on display at the Artisans of Mancos in their spotlight window at 101 Grand Ave, Mancos. The Young Artist Reception to be held April 24 at the Artisans of Mancos from 5 to 8 p.m.