Julia Ducote, a Junior at GBHS, has been selected for this month’s Artist of the Issue, due to her attention to detail and creativity 

Ducote says that she has, “done art basically since I was able to pick up a pencil or paintbrush.” Ducote started doing art because her grandmother was an artist and art was a way that she could have fun, help her focus and relieve stress. One of Ducote’s biggest motivations to continue doing art is her grandmother, as she wants to feel connected to her. 

Although she has done art all her life, recently she has been doing art more and more, both for her school art class and to release stress. 

Ducote’s favorite mediums are charcoal and acrylic and she dislikes working with pastels and colored pencils. Her favorite colors are blue and pink. Although she likes drawing everything, her favorite thing to draw is people. She does not dislike drawing anything, but if she had to say, she said her least favorite thing to draw is landscapes. Her favorite drawings she has done are one of a jellyfish, and one of a hyper realistic eye. 

As well as doing detailed paintings and drawings, Julia also enjoys pursing art in less time-consuming outlets. Julia loves to doodle on paper and loves to do quick sketches on schoolwork. 

Ducote pulls inspiration from music and her emotions. Ducote says, “My music taste tends to vary a lot, but in general I really like rock and pop music.” Some of Ducote’s biggest musical inspirations are Arctic Monkeys and No Doubt. 

As well as taking inspiration from music, also Ducote is influenced by other painters and artists. Some of Julia’s favorite artists are Da Vinci and Van Gogh. Her favorite work by Da Vinci is La Scapigilata, and her favorite work by Van Gogh is The Night Café. 

Ducote also loves to do her work at places like Panera. Places like this give her a chance to focus solely on her work and get coffee and treats to fuel her work. 

Ducote says that one of the most important things is to trust the process and yourself, as well as not rushing your work. Ducote says her artwork can take anywhere from a few days to many months to finish, depending on her motivation and how intricate the work is.