Rathdrum artist paints a path to Pratt
Photos by CRAIG NORTHRUP/Press Andrew Lucas, 17, of Rathdrum, was accepted into the Pratt Institute, a prestigious, private liberal arts school in Brooklyn, N.Y., for 2020. He is about to embark on a vigorous fundraising campaign to help pay for tuition.
Rathdrum’s Andrew Lucas cherishes his artists’ rendering of the Marvel character Groot. “I find inspiration in Groot through his strength, despite a lack of money. He is willing to sacrifice himself, which I think takes incredible strength.”
CRAIG NORTHRUP/Press "Emerald City," by Rathdrum artist Andrew Lucas is one of the pieces that led the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y., to accept him for admission. "I drew my inspiration for 'Emerald City' from the magic of a first adventure."
For those not wired into the New York art scene, the Pratt Institute has a reputation as the creme de la creme of schools for creative minds. The private university draws thinkers, artists, writers and designers from around the world to hone their craft. Perhaps the most prestigious art school in North America, Pratt alumni include art visionaries like Ellsworth Kelly and Robert Maplethorpe, fashion trendsetters like Jeremy Scott and Norman Norell, and acting legends including Martin Landau and Robert Redford.
Andrew Lucas, a 17-year-old Mountain View student, will begin his senior year this fall having already been accepted to Pratt. The multi-medium artist has created between 150 and 200 paintings, drawings and other works in his young life, capturing a spectrum of different subjects while focusing on one unifying theme.
“A lot of my work comes out of joyous emotion,” he said. “When you look at my work, it’s representative of several things, but it always is born out of warmer, happier emotion. Some of [my work] — the kind I don’t usually keep — can come from not-so-good emotions. I’ve always had trouble expressing my emotions verbally, so my knack for artistic expression has helped me grow, artistically and personally.”
His most recent works vary in scope and substance but emerge through either graphite pencil drawings or acrylic painting. The drawings craft thin edges around the detailed features of faces. His acrylics burst with color to depict fictional characters of pop culture’s past.
“I didn’t realize this would be a big part of my future until around the seventh grade,” he said. “I always thought it was a small hobby I took a liking to. But here we are. I’ve never really given up on it, and it’s helped get me where I am today.”
While at Pratt, Lucas will expand on his artistic resources as he explores animation and graphic design. He says he also hopes to try his hand at sculpting, something he’s always been intrigued by but never tried.
“I like bringing things into three dimmensions,” he said. “Sculpture allows for different possibilities through shadowing, and I’m excited to try that.”
Lucas is not the only one excited about the possibilities ahead.
“I was so excited when I learned about this,” his mother, Cassy McBride, said. “I hope he goes as far as he can go doing what he loves.”
“As far as he can go” is not a path set in stone. Including room and board, annual tuition for the private school falls just under $48,000 per year, steering the Lucas family down creative roads to fund his future. The family is preparing a shock-and-awe campaign of bake sales, car washes, fundraisers, donation jars and a GoFundMe movement to raise funds. While Lucas’s artistic skills and straight-A’s high school career has gotten him into Pratt, paying for his education is still a challenge he hopes to fulfill.
“I’m working hard to earn as much as I can,” Lucas said. “I hope it will be enough.”
Not only must Lucas budget his finances, he also must budget his time. After all, he’s still an artist.
“I try to do a painting every month,” Lucas said, “if not every week. I set a schedule to work, and I’ve carved out a little space for me to work. If someone calls, I’ll politely tell them I’m working. I try to get as much out as possible, because I don’t like the feeling of not doing something.”
That work ethic came from his mother, father and siblings, but he also credits his late grandfather as his inspiration, both artistically and personally.
“My grandpa was one of the biggest people to push me forward,” he said. “He always pushed me into developing my passion and encouraging me … He was a cartoonist, and he was really talented.”
“He didn’t get it from me,” Lucas’s father, Christopher, said. “I can barely draw stick figures, but Andrew’s a real talent. I’m jealous. I wish I was half as talented with him at this. He’s just an incredible kid, and I’m proud to be his dad.”