Honor Winter '22: Choosing a Path of Creativity

When she graduates from Mount Saint Mary Academy in June, Honor Winter '22 will be taking with her a deeper passion for creativity and the goal to focus on art history and visual arts. This passion was sparked as early as she can remember.

“I’ve always been surrounded by artists and artwork. My grandmother’s paintings hang all around my house,” said Honor. “One of my parents’ friends is renowned author and artist, Charise Mericle.”

“I think I really got interested in creating art sophomore year when my mom and I started going to museums,” she added. “I love to see the techniques the artists use which inspire me in my own art. For example, we went to the Cleveland Museum of Art a few months ago and I discovered the German Expressionists who use dark outlines to make the work bolder. I started to use that in my own art.”

Honor, who has been a member of the Mount’s Art Club for four years, shared that most of her works are portraits – “not of specific people, but people I’ve imagined. They’re abstract and mysterious.” Most recently, she has become interested in crocheting because she loves the colors and texture of the yarn.

“It's like painting and sculpting at the same time.” she said. “I like what I’ve seen people do with it in museums. I’ve always wanted to do pottery and sculpture too (maybe in college.)”

 

She especially enjoys sending her artwork to family members and seeing the pieces displayed in their homes.

 

“I can’t imagine going to college without taking art,” shared Honor. “All of the schools I'm interested in, which are small liberal arts colleges in the Midwest and Northeast, have art museums and studio spaces. That is exactly what I want in a college experience.”

 

Aside from the Art Club, Honor has been writing cartoons for Peeks, she has participated in cross country for four years, and she is an ESL (English as a Second Language) tutor.

 

“I really love teaching ESL because I get to put together creative lesson plans for my student. It brings me joy because I feel like I'm making a difference in her life,” she said.

 

Honor is grateful for the inspiration she has received during her successful journey at Mount Saint Mary.

 

“I’ve had teachers who really encouraged my creative thinking and individualism and inspired me to learn more about arts and literature,” she said. “I’ve benefitted from great classes in theology, history and government and four years of Latin and classical studies with Mrs. (Jennifer) Larson. Ms. (Vanessa) Emanuele, my art teacher, has encouraged my love for art and challenged me.”

 

“Dr. (Joseph) Bonk exposed me to a lot of great books and inspired me to attend Bard’s Young Writers Workshop. And many other teachers at Mount introduced me to the subjects I love and want to continue to study in college.”

 

“It is such a pleasure having Honor in art class,” said Ms. Emanuele, “and I feel the excitement for her future creative path. I have found her to be one of those gems that wants the ‘deep dive’ into art. She consistently craves to learn, and demonstrates her love for discussions about art, artists, and creativity.”