Clear Some Space On That Wall

Now we know everyone has had problems with 2020 and I don't blame you for not being in the festive cheer, with the weight of the world and the bulk of that Christmas list that's already enough to make some go crazy! But what if I told you that you wouldn't have to worry so much about going out and buying gifts this year when there's already unrecognized talent sitting right here in your very community!

Summer Kimbro only two months into Hoopeston and she’s already dazzled me with her balance of an automotive career and producing works of art! Having to move around so much growing up she look to art as a means of escape. She tells me ¨I've had to change schools at least eight times growing up¨. But that’s never stopped her from doing what she loves. Her mediums include charcoal, chalk pastel, graphite, acrylic, and watercolor. She took on the appeal of art only in the fifth grade at a private school that she was attending most of the year before sadly having to move again. The school had an art class every couple of weeks, and one assignment was to draw the cover of a book that they were reading. It was during those weeks of paying attention to the details on the front cover that she found interest in the endless possibilities of art.

That interest cemented itself in high school. Through all the anxiety of being a teenager and working through classes to get good grades, art class was where she could express herself. She skipped a year of art and jumped into the higher class after the art teacher looked through some of her sketchbooks. Her senior year had her leaning towards a possible career in the art field. Her art teacher actually recommended her to give art lessons to kids. She spent one summer teaching a middle schooler techniques for her 4-H project. She wanted to go into an art field, but coming from a lower-income family made that harder. None of the career fields in the arts was within her price range, so she chose another field that interests her, the automotive world. She tells me ¨either way, my hands are getting dirty¨ whether engine grime or an artist medium she gets the job done every time.

But back to the main topic at hand, Ms. Kimbro has some art to sell for the holidays just in case you don’t know what to get anyone. Along with that she’s also offering art lessons at a later time if anyone is interested to pick up the craft. Here are the current pieces and a few that she’s selling. If you are interested in contacting Ms. Kimbro about her art you can email here at Summerkay1999@gmail.com.

• Kimbro, S. (December 2020). Personal interview [Personal interview].