Texas Art Education Association (TAEA) has declared March to be Youth Art Month and this year’s celebration includes the art of Liberty Hill Middle School (LHMS) student Elena Barreras on display at the Bob Bullock Museum. Let’s chat with Elena and her art teacher Marie Layne about this awesome accomplishment. 

Elena is an eighth grader at LHMS and loves art because of the creative freedom it gives her. That creative freedom led to her drawing a deer in the woods with moss and mushrooms growing on his back. “I wanted the deer to be snow themed but then added the moss and mushrooms from the spring to create a clash of seasons,” she said. Drawing is her favorite form of art and this award-winning piece is actually the first time she painted her art. Elena is grateful for Mrs. Layne’s encouragement. “She supports me in everything that I want to do and if it doesn’t work out, she helps me,” said Elena.

Layne has been teaching art for 19 years, the last eight at LHMS. She currently teaches Art I and for beginners and Art I for high school credit. Elena’s art was part of a lesson on proportion. Students pick a photograph, overlay it with a grid, and then enlarge that grid to draw the photograph with the new proportions in pencil. After it is drawn in pencil, students added layers of acrylic paints and blended the colors to achieve their desired look. 

Layne chose to submit Elena’s art for the contest because she appreciated the extra details she added to her drawing. “Elena had a reference drawing of a deer,” Layne said. “Then she added all of the details; the background was different, she added mushrooms and moss, and made the deer a beautiful blue color.” 

Art teachers from around the state submitted art to be judged by TAEA and Elena’s art was selected to be exhibited next month at the Bob Bullock State History Museum. Elena and her family will be able to celebrate her accomplishment at a reception that will kick off the exhibit.

Just spending time in Layne’s classroom, you can see the value of creativity in her class. This fall, students used clay to make whistles. They painted them, glazed them, and then used the whistles to play Christmas carols around campus before winter break. She has an elephant and puffer fish whistle on display. Above her storage cabinets are piñata students make each spring. There are minions, doughnuts, super heroes and even a Humpty Dumpty who actually fell off his display in the library and was recovered during renovations a few years ago. This month, her kids are making 3-D shadow boxes. She loves that she gets to learn alongside her students. “My students will ask why I’m teaching something that I’ve never made and I remind them that we are all always learning,” she explained. 

Layne is just one of many exceptional art teachers in LHISD. When asked what makes him most proud of the LHISD art program, Director of Fine Arts Chico Portillo said, “the teachers and their passion for art. It shows in the quality of the art from our students.” 

Layne feels very lucky to teach at LHMS. She said, “I will work here until I retire. I really love it. It’s different every day.” Thank you Mrs. Layne for investing in our students and giving them a fun space to learn, play and grow as artists. LHISD is proud of you Elena and excited to see your beautiful artwork on display next month.