2. How will having the opportunity to be Artist the Month improve your future art creations?
I think the opportunity won’t really sway anything because art isn’t about the awards you win. It’s about how much you love it when you’re alone. It might make me wonder if something is good enough, but not make me push myself to try to “do better” so I can earn an accomplishment.

3. How long have you been taking art classes?
My first art classes were in grade school but really I started in 8th grade and just did really well so I decided to continue.

4. What has been your favorite art project? Why?
My favorite project was for sure the mask. My favorite part was seeing it come together with the little accomplishments, when finally got the under eye bags and when I mixed the perfect skin color.

5. What was your reaction when you won Artist of the Month?
I was really astonished and excited. I couldn’t believe it or stop smiling. I was so surprised and was so jazzed to tell everyone about it.

6. Why do you like taking art?
It’s kind of a freedom like, are they really letting us do this is school? It gives me the ability to give new life, a part of yourself, in something that starts out blank. It’s the closest thing to pure potential out of an inanimate object.

7. What was the most difficult part of creating your mask? Why?
The details were so hard to get just right. With things like a mask I turn into a perfectionist and just stress. I usually start out hating the project and by the end I’m so proud of what I’ve done.

8. Do you plan to continue art in the future? Why or Why not?
I wish that I could say that I do but with so many classes to take and AP and honors homework to take are of I don’t know if I could fit it in. I really do love doing it and it would be amazing to pursue as a career, but it’s just not as practical as I’d like. I really wish it was because it would be a dream job most definitely. I’d much rather have a pallet of paint stains over my arms than stress lines from clinical work.

Signal: What was your inspiration for your art?

Jourdyn Cluver: I do a lot of Tigger because my family calls me Tigger.  I do a lot of at-home projects that are of animals.  I have a lot of animals at home.

S: What is your favorite animal to draw?

JC: My favorite animal to draw is [SIC] horses.  I got a book that taught me how.  Or I like drawing animals without fur.

S: What do you enjoy about art?

JC: It’s just fun to hear people’s reactions to it.  When I’m really stressed out, I work on it.  It’s a stress reliever.

S:What is your favorite medium to use? Why?

JC: Probably pencil and sketches because you can shade a lot.

S: How long have you been involved in art?

JC: I have been involved in art forever.  When I was in kindergarten, my teacher would always tell my mom I was good at it.

S: Where do you hope your art takes you in life?

JC: I always wanted my art to be in a museum, but that already happened.  Cygnus bought a piece of my art, so I haven’t come up with any new goals.  In the distance there was a light house and a seal.  

Sophomore Scott Rossing is the featured artist of the month, chosen by art teachers Bill Congdon and Doug Hustedt.

Congdon and Hustedt picked Rossing because of his creativity and commitment to the piece.

“My inspiration (for the snowboard) was color because I like to use different ones with each other, and I like to combine different aspects of designs,” Sophomore Scott Rossing said.

The colorful pieces of this snowboard represent the colorful person Rossing is.

Rossing considers himself a different and diverse person, which is seen by the two distince parts in his artwork.

When Rossing finished this piece, he felt many emotions, but one stood out in particular.

“A word to describe how I feel when I finish a piece of art is thrilled when I sit back and look at all that I have accomplished,” Rossing said.

Often times, Rossing describes himself as a different and diverse person, which shows in his art.  Their are two distinct parts, showing two sides of himself.

“I like the design because it shows that I can be creative and it uses a lot of different colors.  I like to use new ideas and just try different stuff,”Rossing said.

Rossing believes his creative personality can take him far in an art career, if that’s what he decides to do.

“I’ve been taking art classes since sixth grade, and I might be thinking about taking art as a minor in college,” Rossing said.