Senior Megan Loving consistently impresses her art teachers and fellow students with her skills. She is committed to her artwork, especially her career goals for the future. 

Loving paints, sketches, and makes digital art. Her personal style leans towards semi-realism, though there are various styles that she practices.

Loving said her art is relaxing. “It’s something I do to de-stress,” she said.

She practices art daily from one to several hours a day. “It’s become almost an automatic process, in my head at least, so I’ll zone off or I’ll play something in the background and just create,” she said.

Loving is inspired by other people and the diversity around her. “I like seeing different people and then drawing them or creating things inspired by them,” she said.

She also likes to create based on childhood memories. “I think the shows I used to watch as a child, like anime, inspired me to draw too, because I really like that art style,” she said.

“Untitled” colored pencil and marker in sketchbook

Seeing her favorite art styles expressed through storytelling, such as anime, also impacted the way that Loving likes to do her artwork.  “I really like being able to tell stories through art or being able to make characters. You can make what you like in art, and I think that’s what I really like about it. It’s like a form of expression.” she said.

Art has been a big part of Loving’s life since she was around 5 years old.  It served as a bonding tool for her during her childhood because her artwork would naturally attract a lot of attention. “As a child, I was really shy and I didn’t like trying to make friends or doing things outside of my house.

After she got into art, she had something to talk about with other people. “Other kids would be like ‘Wow, you’re really good at coloring,’ or something and then I’d be like ‘Oh, thanks,'” she said. “It was sort of a way to break me out of my shell.”

Loving said the long-range focus shifted as she got older.  “I started considering it as something to do in the future, and then it was like ‘Well, what are you gonna do, like, get an art degree? What are you going to do with that?’” she said.

When Loving graduates this year, she will continue her education on a Kearney Bound scholarship at the University of Nebraska at at Kearney. “I’m getting a studio art degree, emphasis on illustration,” she said.

Loving didn’t like art in middle school, but have grown to like the classes in high school, even ceramics. “I don’t like using clay and stuff, but it was a lot of fun and it helped that the teachers were really encouraging,” she said.

Art teacher Joy DeVoe said she appreciates how Loving challenges herself in class. “She works on her own times, she tries to come up with new things, and she’s just really self-motivated and extremely talented,” she said.

DeVoe said Loving’s work ethic has turned her into a unique artist.  “It’s really fun to watch her try different mediums and see her style kind of come out in all of her artwork and everything that she does,” she said.

Loving advised beginners not to get discouraged. “Just go for it,” she said. “I think encouragement is what a lot of young artists or beginning artists need.”