When it comes to art, Elder has had its fair share of kids go on to be successful artists in college and beyond. My father is one of them.

Elder Art students have shown their talents through competitions and displays in the school halls, but Ryne Poli has a different way a getting his art out. Poli has been posting his work on Social Media which has gotten him lots of attention from kids not only from Elder, but other schools as well.

Poli is a former St. Ignatius Wildcat who is now a senior. He played football his freshmen and sophomore year, has been an Elder baseball player the past three years, and hopefully a fourth. Poli is also one of the rare Chicago Cubs fans in Cincinnati as well. He is also a great artist, he has done various pieces that have gotten people’s attention through the school and of course social media.

I’m sure I am not the only one who has been impressed with Poli’s artwork. Many people have displayed there awe and feelings towards his work, and it is nothing but great raves. I thought this was a great time to dig deeper and figure out more about his artwork and the senior himself.

I first asked him when he started to like to draw and discover it as his hobby.

“It was about my freshman year and beginning of sophomore year, when I started drawing and painting in my spare time. Mrs. Plagge and Mr. Buetsche were and still are influential voices to me for whenever I need insight or a view from a different perspective.

Why do you like to draw so much? Is there any special reason or feeling behind it?

Gallery • 6 Photos

A Robot Bird as Poli called it.

“I’ve always liked to draw, it’s just been an interest to me from day one. And I do it for a sense of accomplishment and as kind of an escape from everything around me.” Poli said. He said it also is more of a heat of the moment feeling, he needs to inspiration to really spark an idea about what to draw.

What has been your favorite piece?

“Definitely the Godfather, because I spent so much time on it and it has a sentimental value to me. It’s also from the greatest movie of all time.” He also said his recent piece on Derek Jeter is one of his favorites. Speaking of one of his favorites, one of my personal favorites is his Ted Williams piece. He posted it on Instagram and had people guess what it was, at first glance it looked like it had something to do with the Boston Bombings last year, but when he told me what it really meant I saw it clearly.

“It’s actually a tribute to Ted Williams, who was drafted into WW2 in his prime, and came back after serving 3 years as a fighter pilot. Some say he would’ve been the greatest hitter ever if he kept playing.”

Poli is focused on the college search, he said Mt. St. Joesph, Thomas More, Miami (OH), and Cincinnati are where he has applied to but he is undecided on where he wants to go. His major may surprise you though,

“I’d like to major in Athletic training, which means I won’t major in art. I’ll still doodle around after high school, maybe even whip out another Godfather-like piece, who knows.

Poli will definitely whip out more artwork while at Elder. I know many Elder kids, myself included, are looking forward to seeing more of Poli’s creative artwork. Whether its baseball related or just doodling Poli’s artwork will catch your eyes.