For those of you unaware, we have an amazing art program here at Elder. That program is led by one of the best young artist in the world. That man goes by the name of John Conners. John Conners has more talent than Michaelangelo. And I got a chance to sit down and talk with this legend.

John is receiving interest from colleges for art. Those colleges include, “the Pratt Institute, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, as well as the Columbus College of Art and Design.” John intends to go to college for art as well.

Fun fact, Robert Redford actually attended the Pratt Institute. The Pratt Institute is currently the school sticking out most to John because it is the best school he has heard fun.

John has been interested in art all of his life. Before attending Elder, he actually “designed a school spirit shirt in the sixth grade as well as briefly being a graphic designer for the Instagram account StayFishyOfficial.” His family has played a big role in his art career, and has been an inspiration for him. His grandparents have been big supporters of his art as well, “My grandmother and grandfather have always funded my art.”

With John being such a good artist, it had me wondering, where did this ability come from? I asked John if it runs in the family. He said, “Not in my immediate family as much, but my grandmother is a pretty good painter and my grandfather is an embalmer. For those who do not know what that means, an embalmer is a person who participates in the art and science of preserving human remains by treating them to forestall decomposition.”

John is “a big fan of Leonardo da Vinci, not only as an artist, but as an inventor as well.” Maybe that is who he models his amazing projects off. John spends an extended amount of time working on these pieces. I asked him what was the longest amount of time he has spent, and he added, “The longest I’ve spent working on a project was three months. That is, an average of two hours a day for three months. The project was a superhero suit based on Elder High School.” The superhero suit is amazing. Look in the slideshow if you would like to see a picture of it.

I got a chance to catch up with close friend of John, DJ Melillo. He talked about watching John’s art career take off. “It has been an unbelievable experience to watch a person like John develop his skills over the years.” I then asked DJ what it is like to be such good friends with one of the world’s next great artist. He added, “It has been amazing. I can’t wait to see his works in museums.”

Down the road, look out for the name John Conners in art galleries near you. He is on the rise, and we’re just here for the ride.

Gallery • 5 Photos