Following up on a previous spotlight on senior Max Merritt, I’m moving on to senior Danny Theders. Danny is a graduate of St. Jude and has been in the art program for three years of his high school career. Danny loves taking pictures, he is a very artsy guy. He also has helped design one of the Elder Walk t-shirts during his time at Elder.

Here is a taste of what his Instagram page looks like.

Gallery • 3 Photos

All photos are credited to Danny Theders '16

However, his work as an artist is what has landed him in the Artist Spotlight.

“It is very hard to choose a single piece that I consider my favorite, but one of my favorites is a photograph from last year called Abandonment. It was taken inside an old abandoned house. Mr. Buetsche entered it into Scholastic Art & Writing Awards which is a huge competition and it won a gold key,” Theders said.

As a friend of Danny’s, I have been around him and seen his skills and love for art. He has been blessed like so many other Elder Art students with the gift of creativity.

Theders has racked up numerous awards as a student of the art program.

“I have won a few awards this year and years in the past,” Theders said.

“Sophomore year was my first year of art and I only had the chance to enter one competition. It was a collage piece that I thought had no chance of winning, but it won a gold key at Scholastics. That really shocked me because I had never won any art award before.”

He told me that going into his junior year he chose to take Digital Photography and Industrial Design.

“I really enjoy taking photos. I entered about three competitions this year in the semester course, the photo Abandonment won in Scholastics and also at an art competition held at the Art Academy of Cincinnati (ACC).

His favorite thing about art and photography is that it is a way for him to express his feelings and emotions.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Few pieces of work done by Danny Theders.

“I have always loved art,” Theders said.

“I was surrounded by art since I was born. Whenever I went to my Grandma’s house she would always have us drawing, painting, etc. This taught me to get creative at a very young age. I love every aspect of art. My mom and dad are also very creative and inspiring,” said Theders.

He told me he plans to go to Hobart Institute of Welding and Technology after graduating from Elder.

“I enjoy working with my hands and get a lot of satisfaction after I create something. I chose welding because there are numerous job opportunities. In the future, I plan on joining my dad’s side of the family fabrication shop,” said Theders.

Theders said art will still be a big aspect of his life even after school.

Theders is one of the many talented art students at Elder. The creativity that flows through the minds of these students is quite remarkable. Stay tuned for another artist spotlight to cap off the year.