An artist above all

Junior Nevaeh Eckroth is a young artist who has accumulated a fanbase of over 550 followers on Instagram. Eckroth uses multiple mediums for her expression, browsing her colorful Instagram you can find examples of ink, graphite, colored pencil, watercolor, and digital art. Her art reflects a personal style highlighted with smooth shading and candy colors. However having a style doesn’t mean repetition, as you’ll find Eckroth’s art moves through a variety of topics and emotions. She’s been uploading Instagram portfolio since 2015.

Nevaeh finds support for her art both online as well as at home within her family. “They always look forward to new paintings that I make [and] show them around to everybody,” Eckroth said. She’s also received encouragement from art teacher Shelley Socolofsky, who’s given her confidence through teaching her from freshman year that every art piece, even doodles, have worth. A young artist’s life-force is support, the more encouraged and validated they are, the more willing they are to push forward.

Despite her online success and enjoyment through doing commissions, Eckroth isn’t sure if she wants to go into art professionally.  “Right now, I want to get myself out there more,” Eckroth said. However, she is interested in jobs involving game design, graphic design, or animation if an opportunity ever presents itself down the line.

Although she primarily works in visual arts, Eckroth believes there should be more opportunities for students to explore other art mediums in addition to drawing, design, and photography at Tigard High. “There’s woodworking and metalworking, culinary arts, lots of different forms that I don’t feel the school really recognizes,” she said. She then expressed her wish for our school to offer more appreciation to all forms of art and hold it to as high a standard as sports.

Creative influence can come from many places. Eckroth’s art often combines with music, allowing whatever song she’s listening to influence her current piece’s emotions. “I try and feel whatever I’m feeling from that song and take that emotion and put it into [the work].” Eckroth said.

Her greatest advice to any young starting artist is “practice makes perfect”. Though she admits it can be an overused phrase, it holds truth,  “I know it’s easy to be discouraged if you’re spending hours trying to get something right and it just doesn’t seem like it’s working… but you gotta keep trying because I promise the payoff is worth it,” Eckroth said.

You can follow Nevaeh and her art progress through her Instagram @cataloid .