From runway to canvas, Howard finds success

One might think that Mount Vernon High School senior Kennedy Howard has plenty to do, just being a student athlete. An All-Ohio high school pole vaulter for the Yellow Jackets, Howard is looking forward to a collegiate track and field career at Montana State, where she will study business. That, however, doesn’t tell the whole story.

Howard, a talented artist, has had her artwork selected as part of the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition (OGYAE). With 5,786 works of art by about 2,100 high school students, across 14 regions in Ohio, the competition was fierce.

“The one that I made that went to state was not intended for that at all,” Howard said. “I've never really made a piece for it (OGYAE) and I'm always really surprised that they usually do pretty well. I made the piece for my AP art class. Actually, it was really my first project for the year. So, I was surprised that it did so well, because I really didn't do anything over the summer to practice.”

Howard made it through the OGYAE regionals, where her work was among 1,160 works of art that moved on to the state for judging. Kennedy’s piece, “Scraping Away,” earned a spot in the Top 250 artworks, statewide.

“Basically, it's a real close-up of my mouth, but it can be anyone's mouth,” explained Howard. “In the photo, I have a toothpick and I'm picking off some kind of ink. It looks like lipstick. I used oil pastel for the teeth. I used colored pencil for the lipstick.”

In fact, Howard submitted a second piece to the OGYAE, this year (a piece that made it to regionals), which she had expected would do better in the contest.

"I was very surprised,’ said Howard. “(The second piece) is a self portrait. So, I actually did a face. It was done at a kind of funky angle. It was kind of like a 0.5 picture, where you zoom your photo to 0.5. It's just a camera trick and it makes the angles look funny. It's just me looking in a mirror. It's very colorful. I did it in acrylic markers and the really thin Sharpies.”

Being a Top 250 artist, makes Howard eligible for scholarship opportunities from art programs statewide and nationally. She was honored (along with the other top placers) at an awards ceremony and reception on April 12.

Art has been a pursuit of Howard’s, at least as long as track and field.

“I've been interested in art as long as I can remember,” said Howard. “I can recall getting into it in elementary school. I really like drawing people. As long as I can remember, I've really been into it.”

Howard likes to draw faces in particular.

“I think the reason I have the skills I do is because I've done this for so long,” said Howard. "I don't think it's really as much of a talent as it is a pursued interest. I would do faces and I also remember doing fashion stuff. I would draw a body and put clothes on it. I don't do that anymore, but I used to. They were just flat paper pencil drawings.

"I still really like doing faces, although I haven't made a piece with a face this year. I like using charcoal to draw, and also pen. Once you learn the basic form of a face, you can do anything with it, when you know where to put the values. I never really liked doing landscapes or anything like that.”

Howard’s favorite artist, surprisingly, has a totally different style than she does.

“My favorite artist is Ben Shettler,” said Howard. “None of my pieces look like his stuff, but I just really like him. He applies a lot of his artwork to skis. His stuff is very colorful, vibrant, and very, very abstract. It's something that I always kind of wanted to be able to do. I'm not very good at abstract. He likes to work faces into objects in his art. My dad has a pair of his skis and there's this old man's face on a mountain. It's just very cool. I didn't try to do a piece this year, that was inspired by him, but I ended up going in a different direction.”

A business degree and her artistic skills seem like a skill set that could lead Howard into a marketing career.

“I want to do something creative,” said Howard. “Perhaps an interior designer. If I could make enough money, I would definitely do something in the art field, full time.”

In the meantime, Howard hopes to make it back to the OHSAA Track and Field Championships in early June as a pole vaulter, where she can get a chance to top her outstanding fourth-place finish in last year’s state tourney.

The OGYAE top 250 honorees’ artwork, (including Howard’s) will be on display, through May 14, at the James A. Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus, and is open to the public during regular business hours.

“My mom and dad always supported my artwork, but it's something I always did myself,” said Howard. “Actually, I've never really done that much with art. I'm really surprised I've gotten this much attention because I don't do it that much.”