Westside pottery students from last semester may recognize a particular sculpted bear. That bear is credited to Westside senior Lola Warren, a gifted art student who has been advised by Westside art department chair Erin Lunsford and pottery teacher Amber Tomasek.
“She kind of came to us with her skills, and we definitely give her feedback. We advise her on technical things, and she definitely takes feedback, but she’s definitely a gifted young woman,” Lunsford said.
Warren is really proud of her bear, which is officially titled “Mechanical Predator.”
“I like the bear that I sculpted recently,” Warren said. “I think that came out good.”
Warren has had a lot of fun in Westside’s art program and has excelled in it, doing the almost impossible.
“She’s the first person, and she had to, you know, campaign, to be able to take all three AP courses in two years,” Lunsford said. “We’ve never had that happen before. She’s been great to work with.”
Warren has also won multiple awards during her time in Westside.
“She won a gold key portfolio at Scholastic Art Awards, and so that will go on to be judged at the national level,” Lunsford said. “She was nominated as the emerging young student artist at the Omaha Arts and Entertainment Awards, and she’s been recognized at a handful of very significant places. So I’m excited to see what her career and future holds.”
One thing Warren likes about taking art classes is the freedom to listen to music and the ability to watch TV.
“I like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice in Chains and Tool,” Warren said.
Some artists that Warren likes are those you might see on social media, or even those that have won Oscars for their work in Hollywood.
“I like HR Giger. He did the art for ‘Alien’ and designed all that,” Warren said. “I also like this guy, Miles, I don’t know. I think his Instagram is ‘Miles Art’. He’s pretty big. He’s cool.”
Warren has done well in past years even winning awards at the national and congressional levels.
“Last year, I won a national gold medal in scholastics, and was the first place winner in our district in Nebraska for the Congressional Art Competition,” Warren said.
Warren has additionally come a long way in her communication and asking for advice, which has been appreciated by Tomasek.
