A time to escape, art allows junior Natalie Phillips an outlet for a lifelong passion and hobby. She has been taking art classes for seven years and plans “to turn it into a career.” Phillips uses art to connect with people. “It’s just a part of me, and I like to socialize about it,” Phillips said.
Rebecca Graham, Phillips’ art teacher, describes her as “creative and inventive. She has a style that always comes across in her work that is confident and beautiful. She has a very mature sense of color and aesthetics that make her stand out as an artist at FHS,” said Graham.
Phillips doesn’t use one medium and is abstract in ideas “because it opens up pathways you didn’t know you could take.” Graham “looks forward to the work that Natalie will produce for each project. She definitely thinks outside of the box and her technical skills are great. She is a very talented painter. Her sketchbooks are full of creative explorations of color, texture, and design. I love looking through them.”
Phillps deems her art to be “more abstract” instead of structured. “Most of the time I have no idea what I’m doing.” When coming to the end of her project, Phillips says “I get annoyed with it , or there is always just an ending.” Phillips is one to believe “you can’t overwork something.”
Graham encourages students to pursue an art career. For Phillips, “She could do anything that she sets her mind to, and her creativity and artistic talents will take her far. I am absolutely confident that she will be a huge success in college and in her career,” said Graham.