Teen makes her mark on the world of art

OTTAWA – From the time she was little and coloring with crayons, Grace Huber has liked creating art. Now the 13-year-old Ottawa teen wants to share her excitement with others. She recently started the Bubbly Arts Club, a group for youth in grades 5-8 who are also interested in art. "I choose bubbly because it's a creative way of saying cheerful and fun," she explained. Grace is the daughter of Nate and Angie Huber and attends Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic School. She spends most of her evenings working on art and is currently creating a comic book. "She does art all the time. I mean every night you're practicing different skills," said Angie. Grace seems to have inherited the gene for creativity. Her grandfather, Don Huber, is an artist. He started Phantasm Designs in Ottawa and taught her about dreamcore, a kind of fantasy genre associated with dreams. Her aunt, Heather Vennecotter, owns Continental Nature's Art and taught Grace how to draw realistic flowers. And her dad, Nate, is a graphic designer. Grace also attends the summer art camp at the Mazza Museum. She said she started the club because there's not many other art-related events around Ottawa for youth. She's experimented with a lot of different types of art that she may share with the group. The first meeting held earlier this month was attended by 10 youth from the Ottawa area. Participants made characters called avatars. "They used up all the papers," said Grace. "She had a whole bunch of different body shapes and sizes so the kids could pick the starting shape. It was all her idea," said Angie. "It was actually really entertaining. She may be shy until she starts getting into her zone." Grace plans to do a new project every month. In October, she will give a lesson on drawing human figures. Students will then pick a song they like and turn it into a picture. "Just like my grandpa does because he turns the Beatles' songs into pictures," said Grace. She'd like to invite guest artists to share ideas and techniques with the club. Different parents and people with artistic backgrounds have already reached out to volunteer, said Angie. In fact, most of the family is helping with the club, including her brother, Jack, 11, and her 8-year-old sister, Evelyn. Grace also has a brother, Dawson, who is 4. The class is free to attend, and new members can join by filling out the Google form on the Bubbly Arts Club Facebook page or at the meeting. Donations are accepted to help pay for supplies. "We've worked a little bit with the Cultural Committee in Ottawa. They're very excited about the club," said Angie. In addition to art, Grace plays flute and performs with Putnam County Children's Theater. But art is her niche, according to Angie. Grace is also interested in cosplay which involves making costumes to represent a specific character. "Anytime we try to throw something away, she grabs it," laughed Nate. "She can make something out of it." "We're proud of her," Angie added. "I think just getting to see her find other kids that have the same joy is really fun." Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month from 7-8 p.m. at the Odd Fellows building on Court Street in downtown Ottawa.