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Photos by Robin Decoste.
Artist of the Month:
Robin Decoste
by Amelia Stock
This month's Artist of the Month is Junior Robin Decoste. She enjoys making collages and doing digital arts.
Q: How long have you been interested in art?
A: “Basically my whole life, most of my immediate family create art in their spare time. They are all incredibly talented and have always been super supportive of me, my mom still has my baby drawings, and she still has them hung up in the house.”
Q:What got you interested in art?
A: “Being surrounded by it 24/7 I would say, my brother is also a huge factor, he's an incredible artist. When we were young he used to draw with me in our bedroom. We would make paper dolls and comic books together. My dad used to draw cartoons with us as well, my uncle makes incredible paintings and music. Just being surrounded by our family’s personal paintings and sounds from a young age, and hearing the stories about each one got me into where I am now!”
Q:What are your favorite kinds of art to make?
A: “I have two favorites! My first one I would say is collage, it's such a relaxing experience to just sit down and cut and glue with whatever you want. Though painting is fun it can be very stressful if things aren't working right. I started experimenting with oil painting sometime last year, and I went to Boston University over the summer for a month taking their classes. One of them was in oil painting and it was super hard to get used to, oil takes almost a week to dry and its incredibly difficult to layer color, very different from acrylic paint. My second favorite is probably digital art. I've been taking Ms.Lazarus’s classes since freshman year. Ive loved working with photoshop and I've gotten a few job opportunities from it. I used to work for the C Note in Hull creating digital posters for their instagram. Many people began recognizing me in the scene and I started working for a few more bands creating posters."
Q:What was your first experience with art?
A: “The one I remember more specifically is when I was in elementary school, Mrs. DeCosta was my art teacher and she was my favorite teacher. I would give her a hug everyday. That class was very memorable for me. I would get little awards all the time for my art which I always thought was pretty awesome. Mrs. DeCosta is a great teacher and she really helped me come to the place I am now.”
Q:Where do you find inspiration?
A: “Everywhere! You can find art everywhere, I’ve been to nearly every art related museum in boston. Just sitting there and staring at a single painting, analyzing every brush stroke is really something special. I also find a lot of inspiration at concerts, me and my boyfriend have been to many together, I go to a lot of heavier shows and it’s always wicked fun on the floor. Musicians are amazing to watch, and the people that go to these shows are also interesting. Even just watching my boyfriend play on stage is where I find a lot of inspiration. I carry a small notebook around with me in case I want to sketch something when I’m out, I recommend this for any artist!”
Haywired band logo drumhead.
Photo by Garett on Instagram
Garrett playing his guitar
Photo by @daniela.minidis on Instagram
Garrett Hackett's Musical Talents Prevail
by Abby Newman
From piano to guitar, Garett Hackett, a junior at PHS, is a man of many talents. Garett first started playing piano when he was 11 and later focused on the guitar. He takes lessons at Jesse Stiglich Music School for technique and is learning music theory with Mr. Glass. Garett has his own band called Haywired that is grunge. He has also had two previous bands called Pedestrial Litter and OVER84; his first band with seniors Cam McLaughlin and Sophia Perkins. He practices almost daily, listening to music and writing down song ideas.
Piano has always been a part of his life. He revealed, “I just kinda started playing it. Piano sparked my interest in music and so I grabbed guitar and joined my first band (OVER84) as the rhythm guitarist during my freshman year.”
Garett’s partner, Robin Decoste, summarized, “He’s gone so far with music. To be an artist, to be consistent and have true passion for your work, I’ve never seen a more passionate person. The second he gets home he immediately grabs his guitar and starts playing, even making random things up on the spot that always comes out beautiful. What makes him and his band so unique, is that just pure passion throughout every note and every lyric. It’s incredible to watch, and this type of passion can be hard to find.”
Garett’s passion for music goes beyond school hours, working with his band to play the guitar. He finds being in a band, “Fun but also stressful at times. I love playing with my bands but sometimes trying to learn a set amount of songs for a gig a week away can be tough.”
One piece of advice the junior would give to anyone interested in music is, “I'd say just keep doing it. People give up really easily on music even when they want to learn it. And always play the songs that you wanna play. It takes a while to get good at things but it's worth it as long as you like it.”
Garett’s band, Haywired, can be found on Instagram @haywired_ma and he has an upcoming show on October 27 with details to be determined.
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