Do What Comes Naturally

Do What Comes Naturally Helene Holland ’21 is creating — more specifically, drawing — her own path to success.

—By Rachel Shuster

HELENE HOLLAND REMEMBERS THE EXACT MOMENT SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH DRAWING.

“I was about three years old, and I was at daycare,” she recalls. “One of my friends’ brothers walked downstairs from the ‘big kid room’ with a picture that one of the teachers had drawn of aliens and spaceships. The lines were so neat!”

It would take Helene a few more years and a move to Prairie before she was able to harness that love into a real knack for art. She’s learned that she prefers drawing with graphite and charcoal, sometimes watercolor and ink, but not acrylic paint. Her art tends to either black and white or super bright colors — not much in between. And she has become a doodler during class. Now in her senior year, she has quite a lot to show for those doodles, along with many hours spent in Prairie’s Art Studio.

Her work has garnered significant attention inside school as well as around the community. In the last year alone, Helene has received recognition from the Scholastic Art Awards: an Honorable Mention in 2020, followed by three Honorable Mentions and two Silver Key prizes in 2021. Her work has also been on display at UW-Parkside’s Art=Heart Exhibition. A few friends — and even faculty members — have begun commissioning Helene for her art.

“Honestly, I don’t really make anything with the intention of people seeing it. I like to do what I like to do, what comes to me naturally,” she confesses. “When I dig deep down, I just like making pretty designs. I’m really into architecture. I like realism — seeing something in real life and making a picture of it. When I do what’s fun for me, that always turns out the best.”

That sounds very much like Helene: not really concerned about what other people are going to say or think. She just does Helene.

Helene is certainly a presence. As an underclassmen, she would walk boldly into the Dining Room and grab lunch each day by herself. But she says looks can be deceiving — she hasn’t always felt the self-assurance she displays. She credits art with helping her confidence grow. “I used to get overwhelmed by the Dining Room, and I always wanted to work on my art projects, so I would go eat in the Art Room,” she explains. “Nobody was really there with me; I was just doing my thing. Maybe having something I individually liked — despite the initial weirdness of being alone — maybe that’s what has made me more comfortable.”

She also credits the ethos at Prairie, a place that celebrates individuality and has made her feel comfortable to express herself.

“All of the encouragement from my teachers and classmates [in my art] makes me excited to do more,” she smiles. ““l feel like you’re at home as a student here, there’s a lot of support. I never feel isolated. Even when I’m walking alone, I’m not alone.”

The big question these days is where Helene will walk next. Unsurprisingly, she has a confident answer: she plans to incorporate art in college, but doesn’t want to study it on its own. She has a multitude of interests, and hopes to study them at one of a number of highly selective liberal arts colleges to which she has applied, all on the East Coast.

“Art is what I’m passionate about, but I’m also passionate about other things. I couldn’t even name my favorite subject; I like them all!” she chuckles. “And something about art school scares me a little bit. I’ve always had a mind of my own when it comes to art; it has always been a joy in my life, an escape. If I have somebody telling me what to do and how to do it, suddenly it’s a job and not a fun pastime.”

No matter what major she chooses, she says she can picture herself sitting in any number of parks out east, sketching in her free time.

“Art is always something I’m going to be doing as a hobby,” she smiles. “That’s what I do with it, I guess — whatever I want!” The Southeastern Wisconsin Scholastic Art & Writing Awards honored six Prairie creators this year:

• Helene Holland ‘21: Three Honorable Mentions, two Silver Keys (Art) [A]

• Kate Ignasiak ‘22: Honorable Mention (Art) [A] • Tyler Stahl ‘22: Two Honorable Mentions (Art) [A] • Tori Walker ‘21: Honorable Mention (Art) [A]

• Grigor Chobanian ‘24: Silver Key (Science Fiction & Fantasy story, “Treasure Your Life”) [B] • Autumn Liu ‘23: Gold Key (Short Story, “Golden Feathers”) [B] Two Prairie musicians swept top honors in the Racine Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Concerto Competition. Nolan Boerner ‘23 placed 1st [C], and Sydney Peterson ‘21 took 2nd place.

Congratulations to all of these TPS artists for the well-deserved recognition!

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