Our cover art for this issue is courtesy of Kate Brasher, an artist from out of our world at Boise High – currently a freshman enrolled at Hillside Junior High. This piece, Forever Unfinished, was inspired by a work by Mary Casset, an impressionist artist who often made paintings of domestic settings she saw every day. Alongside Mary Casset, Kate was inspired by the theme of women’s education and wanted to reflect it in a way that was important to her life. In order to achieve this, she chose to work her sister into this piece by illustrating her in a bookstore, browsing the shelves.

Kate said that this piece was created using “Acrylic paint and three different flat brushes”, which was difficult for her. She said that digital art was her favorite medium because “there’s so much creativity and so much you can do. For example, you can create your own brushes.” She also said that she enjoys art because it’s an independently driven activity and a good outlet for her anxiety.

Outside of art, Kate enjoys other creative outlets in school such as writing or music. She loves to play the drums with her dad, who plays guitar alongside her. She finds that both writing and music help with her anxiety and let her get her emotions out in a healthy way. She also loves rollerblading, saying that “Rollerblading is one of my favorite things to do.” Beyond that, she loves animals, especially her dog, whose nails she likes to paint.

Next year, Kate is excited to see what art programs we have at Boise High and also is excited to join new clubs.

Finally Kate said: “You don’t need to be great at art to love it,” which she really takes to heart. Her growth is clear when looking at her previous works, which you can find on her website: (https://sites.google.com/boiseschools.net/katebrasher-art2/home). Art is a great outlet for Kate, not only creatively, but also emotionally, and she hopes to get better while still fostering her love for it.