While sitting in James Andrews’ Visual Arts room at Kingston High School, visually awed by every form of 2D and 3D art imaginable, I met Fine Arts Boosters (FAB) Featured Artist for May, Morgan Honshke.
Morgan, a junior, “is awesome,” says Mr. Andrews. “She was easy to pick to represent Visual Arts.” Visualize Morgan coming into the room with her large art portfolio slung over her shoulder. The sign of a serious artist.
My first question was “Why the ‘atomic’ in your e-mail address?”
“Atomic Betty” is a name her dad calls Morgan, after a Canadian cartoon character. By Googling “Atomic Betty,” I found she is a galactic guardian dedicated to interstellar peacekeeping. Whew! This was good news to this peace activist.
At the end of her freshman year, Morgan moved back to Kingston with her parents and two younger siblings after attending big Shoreline High School. She likes the personal attention of our much smaller KHS. She was born here but spent some growing up years in Indiana with tornadoes as part of the experience. “I’ve always loved it here,” Morgan said.
Morgan finds painting and telling and writing fantasy and adventure stories is her way “to get things bottled up out of my head. If I can’t write it, then I can paint it, draw it or tell it. That is an accomplishment.”
She is a story teller for her friends and family. Drawing since she was 6, she is influenced by her sculptor father who works at Seattle Art Institute. I got to see her impressive AP portfolio of 24 pieces, which includes a wide range of subjects, styles and mediums, including her latest interest, computer cartooning which starts with original drawings. Nineteen KHS students are preparing their intense AP Art portfolios to be sent to the College Board for rating. FAB helps with the fees.
Although they don’t influence the styles of her own work, Morgan enjoys vintage art of the 1920s and classic Greek and European art. At 16, she is pondering her future in art and is considering library sciences at Simmons in Boston to become an art archivist.
Morgan finds freedom in her art and writing, “where I can forget school for a minute, then refocus. I have high expectations for myself.” Then, in a frank and perhaps unique opinion, “We students need more of a push by our school.”
“Artists procrastinate,” said Mr. Andrews, and Morgan and I agreed. Morgan said, “I hope over the years I can improve my creative process and actually get things done.”
Here’s something huge that Mr. Andrews, teachers, student and community artists (including visual artists, musicians, drama) have gotten done for 10 years: The annual Arts Festival, May 23, from 5-9 p.m., all over Kingston High School. North Kitsap artists are invited, at no charge, to perform, display, sell and/or demonstrate their art. Contact James Andrews at JAndrews@nkschools.org.
“We would like to have you on board,” he said.
You will see Morgan’s art there.
— Marilyn Bode writes FAB Spotlight for the Kingston Community News. Contact her at Lidenbode@aol.com
