Milford High School art teacher Mindy Burton knows senior Machaela Freeman’s art can’t be replicated.
The individuality of Freeman’s works is why Burton selected Freeman to exhibit at The Burkholder Project in Lincoln during the month of January. The Burkholder Project allows its artists, of which Burton is one, to choose an up and coming artist to feature works in their respective exhibits for the “Artists Choosing Artists” program. Recognizing that Freeman’s art would catch eyes, Burton selected her own student for the honor.
“Machaela is a true artist,” she said. “Her art is unique and it is her only. No one creates art like Machaelea.”
Freeman said the uniqueness of her work comes from her ability to draw from her inspirations and transform those into her own style of art.
Freeman submitted two paintings for the exhibit. The first, titled a “Summer’s Stroll” pays homage to Freeman’s interest in pin-up models and vehicles. The car in the painting is a nod to how her interest in art began.
“My grandpa was an artist...he worked a lot in art and drawing cars and that kind of inspired me,” she said. “He passed a while ago and whenever I get to do a project that reminds me of him, it means a lot. It was nice to be able to incorporate some of him in the project.”
She added that the “Summer Stroll” work was a challenge in itself, as painting cars is a relatively new medium for her.
“I’ve never painted cars before,” she said. “I’ve drawn them and shaded them in with pencils before, so that was more of a challenge.”
The second is a self-portrait that has more than meets the eye.
“The other one was a self-portrait but with lots of different colors and a few things that weren’t necessarily normal and didn’t exactly portray my features,” she said.
An aspiring artist most of her life, Freeman said this was the first opportunity she’s had to display her works in a public gallery, aside from a few local art shows to which she’s submitted. Walking through the gallery with her art showcased, Freeman admitted feeling overwhelmed by the idea that thousands of eyes viewed her work.
“I’ve never done anything quite like this,” she said. “It was kind of surreal because I never thought that as a high school student I would get to do that. That was really, really nice.”
Freeman said now that the surreal nature of the opportunity is passed, she has gained an added level confidence in her art and has realized that there is an interested audience should she choose to sell it in the near future.
“I hope to be able to start selling stuff and knowing prices because that’s a hard thing to get a handle on,” she said. “I’m glad that I’ve had exposure now to people.”
After graduation in May, Freeman will further her love of art as a student of the Department of Art at the University of South Dakota. She said she plans to double major in general art and journalism and hopes to obtain a career in journalism with an emphasis on photography while continuing her arts hobby on the side.
Burton said she selected Freeman because of her ambitions to pursue art in the future. She knows Freeman’s passion and unique talents will lead to success in the future and was honored to give Freeman the chance to prove that on a large scale.
“This is her, this is what she’s driven to do and what she should do,” she said. “She’s a go-getter and she will be successful.”
