This month’s lovely cover art was designed by Frannie Kocemba. Using Gouache paints, her favorite medium, she created a self portrait. She included a vibrant background of trees to represent her love of nature. The colors on the painting are bold and unique but blend well to express a soft feel. Kocemba says she has been creating art since she was little- as long as she can remember, possibly starting from an elementary art class.

This is one of her favorite pieces, and much like this one, her other favorites tend to include a naturalistic theme.  She says that she especially loves it up at Bogus Basin during the fall when the leaves are changing colors. She especially enjoys being around and studying trees.

In the art itself, there is both a strong sense of realism, but also a feeling of abstraction, especially due to the colors in the painting. The expression of Kocemba in the painting depicts that she is most at peace in nature. The purple eyes are  an exceptional addition due to its “magical feeling” one fan of Kocemba’s art says. 

After high school Kocemba wants to continue doing art but only as a hobby, not professionally. In terms of a career, she’s considering pursuing Biochemistry since her favorite class at Boise High is Biology. 

The piece was chosen for the cover due to how nostalgic this feeling is to Kocemba. The colors provide a surreal, but expressive aura to a realistic picture.