29.0°

Age: 9.

Grade: Third.

School: Glacier Valley Elementary School.

Art of choice: Drawing.

Reason: "Drawing helps me show who I really am inside. I feel happy when I do art, because I get to make new things I've never made before."

Experience: "I've been practicing art since I was able to draw. I was 2 years old."

All in the family: "My grandma Jackie did drawings. My dad did calligraphy. My mom likes to sew and build. My mom also likes to take pictures."

Future plans: "Maybe I will make pictures of things I see and think of, like things in God's world."

Activites: "Besides art, I like to play Pokemon games and play in the snow. I like to wipe snow off my mom's car just for fun."

His teacher, Geoffrey Wyatt, says: "Travis has a natural eye and a talented hand for sketching and other visual arts. Early in the year, he drew a picture of his hand that was perfect. He has an eye for including good detail in his drawings. He really enjoyed a recent chance to throw paint at a canvas like Jackson Pollock. His artistic eye has been apparent in other areas of learning, too. He has incredibly nice handwriting and a strong understanding of geometric shapes and concepts. Travis also has been stretching himself to learn more about other types of art, including music, drama and dance. Travis worked very hard in school this year and had his best school year ever in many areas. Travis has a great sense of humor and is a good friend to other students."

• Student Artist in the Spotlight is a weekly feature on the Neighbors page and is in collaboration with the Juneau School District Elementary Art Program. To have your student art included, contact your school office.