Valley student rubs elbows with TV's Dr. Quinn |
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By MICHOLYN FAJEN For the sec Valley student Kelsi Thrasher, 17, of Cumming traveled to Santa Monica the weekend of July 11, where she met and painted with Seymour in her home. Thrasher placed first in a local contest and fourth in the national show for her entry, "A Touch in Time." The contest, sponsored by The Great Frame Up, a national custom framing and art retailer, provides high school artists with an outlet to express themselves through various mediums, said Lisa Baker, senior marketing manager for the company. "It's remarkable that two of our finalists in the past three years were based in the West Des Moines area. This is a real testament to the local art programs," she said. In 2006, Brianna Shumway, then a senior at Dowling Catholic, was one of the finalists who met with Seymour. Thrasher said the experience has bolstered her self-confidence and energized her interest to pursue art in college. She took a photography class her freshman year at Valley and has been exploring different mediums ever since. Her winning piece was a rendering of a photograph her mother took of her when she was 3 years old. The piece was a project Valley art instructor Tom Murphy assigned to his class last spring. "Kelsi caught my attention with an earlier project that earned honorable mention at the state CIML contest. It was a surreal painting of a group of elephants in a tent on the moon - it was so different and interesting," Murphy said of watching the young artist progress in her technique. But when he saw the detail emerging in Kelsi's work "A Touch in Time," he knew it was a strong piece worthy of submitting in The Great Frame Up contest. "What caught my eye was the reflection she created in the water and her use of texture, so I suggested she enter the contest," said Murphy, adding that the entire class was driven and talented, so much so that they seemed to influence and push each other to paint better. Kelsi's mother, Julie Thrasher, admits there is a little artistic talent running through the family bloodline. Kelsi's grandmother is an artist who encouraged young Kelsi to draw and paint over the years. The national recognition was a thrill for Thrasher's grandmother and the family even shared grandma's work with Seymour. "The photo Kelsi chose to re-create was always one of my favorites. It was a last-minute entry and the results have made us so proud. I don't think I realized or even Kelsi realized how talented she is," said Julie, who accompanied her daughter to California with her husband, Jim Thrasher. It came as a shock, Kelsi admitted, to stand in Seymour's home, in her studio, and see the quality work the actress creates despite having no formal training. "Jane Seymour said she loved that I painted realism and portraits - it's what she said she prefers to paint, too. She told me she liked how detail-oriented my piece was and the overall composition of it. Then we watched her as she shared some of her techniques in her studio," said Kelsi, who will have her artwork professionally framed as part of the award. Thrasher said she plans to attend either Iowa State University or Grand View University, citing that both institutions have strong art programs. |
ond time a high school student from West Des Moines has been named a finalist in the national Creative Self-Expression Show and earned a trip to meet artist and actress Jane Seymour in California.