On the evening of May 20, artist Charlie Detweiler showed his art skills with vibrant colors and vivid imagery to the community at the annual George Slick showcase located at the Community Arts Center.
Junior Charlie Detweiler’s passion for art began at a young age. Growing up in a small town, Detweiler wanted to create a display that would bring people together.
“I didn’t really know what the overarching theme would be until the last six months, and I looked back and saw I was making things about my life and local stuff,” Detweiler said. “So I decided to embrace that.”
To prepare for the showcase Detweiler took the year leading up to the show to put together the pieces that would fill the room. The pieces were mostly landscapes that ranged from color to black and white to various styles, showing off Detweiler’s versatile skills.
“A lot of my work did not make the cut,” Detweiler said. “I made some pieces that I was not as proud of but looking back, I see them as stepping stones. It was really fun painting and diving deeper into my passion for art.”
As Detweiler moved his pieces from his studio in his basement to a room for his paintings to be nicely displayed, the community got to see the bigger picture of who he is as an artist rather than his art posted online.
“It’s great that my art on Instagram, people can now see and recognize it in real life,” Detweiler said during his speech to the showcase attendees.
Detweiler had much support from his peers and teachers throughout the process of preparing for his George Slick showcase. Art Teacher Jennifer Rodgers gave a speech about Detweiler as an artist and how his art leaves an impact.
“When you teach a kid like Charlie, it is a rare gift,” Rodgers said. “As I look at his artwork and reflect on what he has created over the years, I keep coming back to the idea of community and how art brings us together.”
Detweiler’s art has always impacted people from all around and his showcase was just one example of where he could bring his art more to life. Detweiler plans on continuing his passion for art in the future to express and share his talent with others.
“Charlie’s exhibit is beautiful,” senior EC Melly said. “It’s really cool to see it all finished. I saw the process he went through, and it’s amazing to see it all in one piece. I think it’s great to give an artist like Charlie an opportunity to share his work.”
