Bigfork student earns $92,000 scholarship

By FAITH MOLDAN

Bigfork Eagle

There were a few more teenagers in Art Fusion on June 2 than a person might expect to see in an art gallery. And they actually seemed to be appreciating the art.

Why? One of their peers, Ricky Clarke, created it.

Clarke, a 2007 graduate of Bigfork High School, opened his show “Thrift Art” Saturday night with 19 pieces he created in the past year.

“The show went really well,” Clarke said. “There were a lot of people there that I knew, and some that I didn’t. It was nice to see people come out and support the arts.”

Clarke’s show, which runs from June 2-24 at Art Fusion, was a first for both the artist and the gallery.

“I wanted to do it since he first showed his work in the student show,” Art Fusion owner Pamme Reed said. Art Fusion annually shows the work of BHS art students, but had never had a show for an individual student. Clarke has been a part of the student show for three years.

“I was blown away by his work as a sophomore,” Reed said. “In my 15 years doing the student show, I’ve never seen anyone as talented. He has it, whatever that is.”

Sarah Taylor, who has been Clarke’s art teacher at BHS for four years, said the progression in Clarke’s art over the years has been evident.

“Holy smokes, yes,” Taylor replied when asked if she’s noticed a difference in Clarke’s work the past four years. “He’s always had talent. He’s a step ahead of the pack. He started exploring different avenues and goes through such a remarkable state of change.”

Taylor said it is huge for a gallery to show an artist just graduating from college, let alone high school.

Clarke said he has been an artist the duration of his young life.

“My dad’s an artist. As long as I can remember I’ve had a pen or a pencil in my hand,” Clarke said.

The self-taught artist describes his show as an eclectic assortment of styles and mediums including water colors, plaster, oils and acrylics, much like a thrift store.

“I love thrift stores. There’s a familiar-ness about everything there but you can see everything in a new light,” he said.

Clarke said he uses whatever materials he can in his art. He recently learned more about glasswork and likes to work in metal and also sculpts.

“Anything that’s art I love to get my hands on,” he said.

Taylor said Clarke pushes mediums in a different way, making everything unique and his own.

“He’s got his own style,” she said. “He’s got the Ricky Clarke style. It’s slightly abstract and combines mediums.”

Reed said she was impressed with his intelligence and creativeness more when Clarke worked for her at Art Fusion.

“He just constantly thinks in a creative way,” she said.

Clarke’s creative thinking influences his classmates at BHS, Taylor said.

“He helps other students when he can. They’re amazed by what he can do, but it also inspires them. They stop and think, ‘What would Ricky do?’”

The talented young artist will have a new perspective for his art this fall, as he moves to Philadelphia, Penn., to attend the University of the Arts. The school awarded Clarke a $92,000 scholarship. He also received $500 from Art Fusion to put toward his studies.

“I want to see as much as I can,” Clarke said. “I fell in love with the city (Philadelphia).”

Clarke will major in fine arts and minor in graphic design, or vice versa, he said. He plans on working as a graphic designer when he finishes school.

“It’s stable and will let me live while I do what I love,” he said about graphic design and his desire to continue his artwork.

Reed said she believes that the longer Clarke continues creating art, the more rich it will become.

“I like to compare it to a tapestry,” she said. “He keeps adding threads. His work will continue to evolve. He has the potential to be a painter we all know.”

A fan of music and skateboarding, Clarke said he never sees obstacles as obstacles, whether in art or life.

“Everyday things inspire me. Everyday life is amazing to me,” Clarke said.