Arts Student of the Week-Teyha Laughlin

Teyha Laughlin has excelled in Niwot High's visual arts classes, but was hoping to expand her creative horizons during her senior year. So under the mentorship of art teacher Beth Collier, she has pursued an independent study that has taken her art in exciting new directions.

"Teyha is a senior now, and she has been in one or another of my art classes every year since she was a freshman," Collier wrote about the talented portrait artist. "She is creative, funny, and such a hardworking student. I have enjoyed having her each and every time, I will miss her very much, but I am very excited to see where her next steps take her!"

Laughlin's sketches and paintings tend to focus on faces and portraiture, and she works from photo references. During her independent study, she has incorporated an offbeat pair of new media into her work-embroidery and digital art.

"I decided to focus on embroidery, so I could use thread colors to create a portrait," she said. "...I'm also working on digital art this semester, because it's one of those things that you can do anywhere, as long as you have the right tools."

Laughlin said that using digital tools has also given her a boost in creativity, since it allows her more flexibility than she has with physical media.

"The different types of textures that computerized brushes can make is really interesting for making art that doesn't necessarily need to be small and very focused on one thing. It's easier to paint a dragon or a big castle in a digital art program."

As for those next steps, Laughlin plans to attend CU-Boulder and pursue a degree in Creative Technology & Design, a program in the school's College of Engineering.

"I really enjoy math and physics...so engineering is really a good place for me," she said. "But I was really interested in product design, and the creative process, and I really wanted to keep that sort of creativity as an aspect of my career. That was definitely a major focus for me. So I chose something where I could use creativity in day to day life that's not necessarily just making art."