Besides watercolor, Ava enjoys doing
digital art on her iPad, and because it's
portable, she can draw pretty much
anywhere. "I also like taking my real
watercolor paints on the go and was
water-coloring at one of my brother's
baseball games the other day. I use a
small, portable watercolor kit and a note
pad. Art, you will find, can't be confined!
Do it where you feel inspired, up a tree
or by a lake or lying in the grass."
Her favorite classical artists are Da
Vinci and Van Gogh. A contemporary
favorite is illustrator Zach Franzen.
Ava's dad, Alan, said he knew of his
daughter's gift when she was a toddler
and told her parents that she needed
to draw daily. "I was taken aback on
how she could convey a wide range
of emotions through art. It's easy to
encourage and support your child's
interests if they are naturally talented
or pursue a field that you're interested
in." As a teenager he had fun drawing
cartoons but said "Ava passed my
15-year-old artistic abilities when she was
four. I've been a spectator, watching her
grow and experiment in her art."
Ava's mom, Hannah, also does graphic
designs, which Ava says are "awesome."
She pointed out that her parents always
have art supplies ready for her when she
gets the itch to draw. "My family is my
walking color wheel." Besides her mom
and dad cheering her on in her journey
as an artist, she has support, advice and
encouragement from the whole family,
including her little brothers, whom she
calls "my little art assistants," cousins and
aunts and uncles.
Ava notes that the important thing for
kids with a knack for art is to enjoy doing
it. "If you seem to get stuck, like that nose
you just can't seem to get right or that eye
that doesn't seem to have a fitting color,
seek the Creator in all that you do."
When she grows up, she hopes to be
an author and an illustrator, and maybe
become an art teacher. "I know that art
really speaks to me and that others are
that way as well. I hope to continue to
do art for as long as I live because I love
to do it."
www.OfficialkidsMag.com • OctOber 2021 • 29
