Rachel Hoffstatter, a budding young artist about to graduate from Saugerties High School, had her artwork on display and was awarded a $100 scholarship from the Ulster County Art Association at the Frank Greco Senior Center on June 4.
Hoffstatter earned second place last year for her digital photography in a Columbia-Greene County Community College show for emerging young artists, as well as a “Silver Key” in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. In addition to her artistic pursuits, Hoffstatter plays on the Saugerties High varsity lacrosse team, participates in the school’s student council and Key Club and works part-time at the Dutch Ale House.
“Rachel is a prime artist and she’s a great role model,” said Saugerties High art teacher Amy Frohlich, who selected Hoffstatter for the award from a pool of applicants. “She’s hardworking, she’s very creative, a problem-solver, she is all the positives. She’s a great kid and she’s very … she’s got vision. She’s not afraid to take chances with her work.”
We took a moment this week to ask Hoffstatter a few questions.
HudsonValleyOne: When and what was your first exposure to artistic expression?
Rachel Hoffstatter: I never really liked art when I had to take it in elementary school, but when I got to the seventh grade, my art teacher, Robert Slate, let us use our own creativity. In elementary school it’s step by step, you just copy what the art teacher does, but he let us do projects how we wanted to. That’s when I first realized that I had talent and that I enjoyed it.
What are your favorite media?
Definitely graphite pencil — charcoal as well.
What are your plans after graduation?
I’m going to SUNY Plattsburgh in the fall — I’m undeclared, but I’m in the art program. I definitely want to find something that I enjoy but I’m also able to make a living off of.
What’s your favorite project?
Right now, I’m working on a senior mural on the school. It’s on one of the walls in the school and it’s very large. It’s very interesting to do something of that scale. People in the school walk by and ask comments as they walk by, which is sort of annoying but encouraging that they want to know what I’m doing.
What or who inspires your art?
I don’t really have inspirations. If I see something that looks good, I will take parts of that. Definitely [look up to] my art teacher Mr. Slate, he’s very inspirational. He’s going through a tough time right now but he’s getting into class as often as he can.
Describe your style.
I definitely like working on grayscale the most. Color is kind of hard for me to tap into, mostly because I like to create things that I would hang up on my own wall.
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