VADA Artist of the Month: Luc Powers

Fianna Peterson

Powers shows his latest theatre-inspired work-in-progress project. Image credit: Fianna Peterson

For Santa Barbara High School senior Luc Powers, art and theatre have always been intertwined. As September’s Visual Arts & Design Academy (VADA) Artist of the Month, Powers shares his journey with art through the years and where it has taken him.

Powers joined VADA in his sophomore year and appreciates how it’s kept him in touch with his artistic side. He acknowledges that if he weren’t in VADA, he might have stopped doing art, and that taking art classes every day has given him the time and space to continue his projects. Something Powers has learned about himself during his time in VADA is that it’s easy to give up on a project if it’s not perfect right away. It’s important to Powers that he sticks it out and always sees his projects through.

This year in his AP Studio Art class, Powers has developed a thesis that he will work with for the whole year. The result will be a portfolio of his art that envelops the theme of recognizing the behind-the-scenes work in theatre. Powers says he wants to show “all of the time and people it takes to put on a really good show that you don’t necessarily see in the spotlight.”

Powers’ favorite medium is acrylic painting, and he’s currently working on a massive four-by-six-foot canvas. This painting follows his thesis of background theatre work and depicts an empty mannequin with a beige background. Powers says he plans to paint butterflies that seem to be flying off the mannequin.

Power’s artistic journey began at home. His father, a former art major at Northwestern University, introduced him to drawing and figure studies when he was young. Later, at Santa Barbara Middle School, he was encouraged by his art teacher, Sophie Frieman, to continue exploring art seriously. Power’s father was always an artistic role model to him, and Powers says if he could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, he would make something with his father.

He cites M.C. Escher as one of his favorite artistic influences, admiring his use of illusions and morphing designs. Powers also says much of his inspiration comes from the theatre world: the glow of stage lights, the atmosphere backstage, and the memories made with friends. “I’m trying to capture the hazy memories of hanging out backstage, especially from ninth and tenth grade, shows like Footloose and The Drowsy Chaperone,” he said.

In addition to painting, Powers enjoys exploring photography in VADA. One of the most memorable assignments was to layer multiple images into one composite photo. Powers chose multiple photos of his sister sitting around a dining table to create the illusion that she was having dinner with herself.

In the future, Powers plans to major in theatre in college and keep doing art on the side whenever he can. Powers hopes to continue his art consistently, and reflects that one of the most important things he’s had to learn as an artist is not to get discouraged too quickly and stick with his projects. His advice to younger VADA artists is similar, “Don’t put your brush down if it’s not perfect right away, keep working on it even if you’re not completely happy with it.”