ASHLAND – When Kadence Hetsler brought home a drawing of a rabbit from kindergarten, her mother realized she had an extraordinary artistic talent.
“I can’t even draw a rabbit like that, and I’m 37,” Molly Stephens said. “I knew she was fantastic and she was going to be a fantastic artist.”
Now a sophomore at Crestview High School, Hetsler has spent years honing her drawing skills and is thrilled to have recently received broader recognition for her artwork. This year, her drawing titled “Bridgette” was selected for the State Exhibition in the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Show.
Placement in the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Show is a prestigious award for high school students in Ohio. Hetsler is one of just 300 students with a piece in the exhibition, selected from a pool of 10,000 entries throughout the state.
Crestview High School Principal Andrew Ditlevson said Hetsler is the only student from their school who placed in the exhibition this year.
“She is super talented, she’s humble and I’m seeing her lead by example. Her artistic talent is noticed not only by her art teacher and other faculty and staff members, but her peers see what she’s doing,” Ditlevson said. “She’s kind of taking the whole art department to the next level, as she’s developed her talents and been showcased in various exhibitions.”
The winning drawing was inspired by a photograph of another Crestview High School student, Bridgette Bays.
“She’s one of my good friends from school, and she’s always been there for me when I needed it, so I asked her if I could take a picture and draw it for her,” Hetsler said.
Bays is wearing a mask in the photograph, emphasizing the emotion in her eyes. Stephens remembers her daughter began practicing drawing eyes in elementary school and focused on those techniques for years.
Hetsler credits much of her success to art teachers who have supported and encouraged her, including her first art teacher at St. Edward School, Steve Huber, who mentored her from kindergarten through eighth grade. Huber also set up a shadowing experience for Hetsler at Spire, a graphic design company in Ashland.
“Mr. Huber told me that Kadence is one of the best artists that they’ve had come through,” Stephens said.
Hetsler’s current art teacher, Emily Olewiler, has also played an important role by encouraging her to improve and try new things with her art. When she drew “Bridgette,” Hetsler took Olewiler’s advice to “[not] have the thing in your mind what you’re drawing, just look and draw what you see, without any input in your mind beforehand.”
“At first it didn’t set in, because I’ve never done anything like that before,” Hetsler said of placing in the Governor’s Youth Art Show. “That’s such a big accomplishment, especially out of all the people, and I’m really excited and happy about it and excited for next year to do it again and see how far I go.”
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