Emily Ferguson, the daughter of Hannah Heller was recently named Royalton High School's October Artist of the month. Ferguson, a senior, has enjoyed art classes at Royalton Middle/High School since the seventh grade.

"Making a thought or idea transform itself onto a piece of paper is something that I love to do. I'm grateful that Mr. Halverson gives us the freedom to explore what we want to create. His Drawing class is the best part of my day. I'm working on a portfolio for AP art this year, and I will hopefully earn college credit when it's completed. Three of these pieces are on display in this photo. The first acrylic painting is the small one that shows my fear of spiders. This is best told by the dark colors surrounding the spiders that come dropping down like they do. The middle painting is one of my favorites and shows a figure draped in vines. The vines could be easily cut up and forgotten, yet there are metal chains that can not be so easily cut. So the chains are morphed and transformed into wings that help send the figure into flight. The large painting shows cold blue values that create a somber mood contrasted with a complement of orange. The seated subject shows the limitation one puts on them self and one puts on others who my prevent them from reaching their goal. The ballerina in the spotlight." 

"Emily is one of the finest student-artists that Royalton High School has ever seen." said RHS Visual Art instructor Carl Halverson. "I sometimes look at the student works painted on the ceiling tiles in my room and try to remember how many were actually created 100% originally from their minds. The answer would be very few. You can learn drawing skills, painting techniques, and teach the elements and principles of design to kids, but as Einstein once said, "Imagination is far more important than knowledge." Emily creates artwork with the ease of a star athlete, as he sprints finishing with a 4.5 second 40 yard sprint. Her final work in her AP portfolio shows a small, seated figure, who sits back in the shadows. Meanwhile, the spotlight shines on the ballerina, and as usual, the ballerina demands that you admire her beauty and grace as she performs her "Dance." I asked Emily about the "star of the show, ballerina" who stands in the spotlights of her painting. She replied. "I just admire the talents of these dancers, and see such beauty and grace in their art form, their dance."