St. Charles kid seeks career as artist, writer

Kiarra Lynn Smith

Kiarra Lynn Smith remembers drawing a picture of Barney the Dinosaur when she was three. Since then, the St. Charles teenager has done a lot to refine her artwork--and her writing.

Kiarra is 15 now and just starting Christian High School in O'Fallon, Mo. She wants a career an artist, illustrator, poet and traveler.

And she's doing a lot of different things to make that career happen.

Mary Nichols is an associate educator at the St. Louis Art Museum. She's had Kiarra Lynn in two different art camps. One was an Artist Colony camp specializing on drawing. Then, last July, there was a museum camp focused on all sorts of fine arts.

Ms. Nichols said, "Kiarra was the youngest one in the July camp. She is very mature. She has talent. Many kids have that. But, she seems to have the passion for art.

"She has no fear of art and likes to try new things. She has a good eye and an interesting way of looking at things."

A poster with both artwork and a poem.

Kiarra has lots of aunts, uncles and cousins who share her interest in art. One cousin, Elaine Young, makes her living as a graphic artist.

She also has had lots of support from individuals and groups who have provided scholarships and help.

Lately, she has included writing as one of her artistic endeavors.

She credits Debra Morrowloving with helping her with different writing techniques. Morrowloving's Yari Yari Literary Group recently published a collection of kids' poetry and prose, "Tafadahli, Anaglia! 2004."

Kiarra contributed several poems and prose pieces. She also did the book's cover illustration. (To read Kiarra's long poem, "Snickers' Mistake," see sidebar below.)

Kiarra said her best drawings are of people and done in ink. She said she does her best work when she's working from a still photograph or picture.

"If I draw a person from real life, the drawing never looks like them. Even if they sit very still, they are breathing and I can't get the look right."

An acrylic portrait

That's one of the things she's working hard to improve so she can make a living in art.

She said she likes to work with acrylic paints, rather than oils.

"Acrylics dry faster and they just feel right," Kiarra said.

She said her writing needs work. "I need to make my vocabulary bigger." She said she also needs to broaden her various writing styles. "Now, I always write in rhymes."

One way she's working on writing style is by keeping daily journals or diaries.

"I wrote one journal that was 393 days long. Another was 150 days. Another 98. Another 62 and another 52 days. And, except for missing one day in the 150-day journal, I wrote every day," she said.

She said she started writing poetry when she was 13. Her motivation? "Just boredom. I didn't have anything to do," she said.

However, her schedule sounds pretty full.

Besides schoolwork, she's in the St. Louis Children's Choir and at the Webster University's School of Music. She's helping to paint a mural at the community center attached to Adam School.

Asked about her favorite class in school, she said it was Bible study.

"I wrote a poem for each of the four chapters in Second Timothy," she said.

She's also considering a class in glassblowing. But, she admits she's a little afraid about working with the fire and molten glass.

She said, "I'm a fearful person." In fact, she has listed 7 specific things that scare her.

They are: infinity, death, the Apocalypse, dead people, Chucky Cheese, heights and elevators.

About Chucky Cheese (the restaurant), she said, "I've been afraid of that since I was two." About elevators, "I got stuck in one alone when I was four."

As for the Apocalypse or end of the world, she said, "I'm afraid I might get left behind."

 

"Snickers' Mistake"
By Kiarra Lynn Smith

On an island in an ocean
On a planet far away
There lived monkeys and gorillas
Who were constantly at play

They were gleeful, they were happy
They would swing from vine to vine
They ate apples and bananas
And their lives were mighty fine

There was one whose name was Snickers
He was mischievous and fast
He would throw rotten bananas
At some monkeys walking past

But this mean and bad behavior
It would open up a door
And one crazy situation
It would start a crazy war

One day Snickers got a melon
And he waited in a tree
He would drop the watermelon
On the first thing he could see

Now the emperor of lions
He was on his daily walk
He was always very grumpy
And to NO ONE would he talk

He was rushing to a meeting
As to not be very late
For this meeting was IMPORTANT
And he simply couldn't wait

He had on his favorite sweater
His best pocket watch and tie
If he made a bad impression
He could kiss his job good-by

Little Snickers saw him coming
He was giggling inside
For the emperor would look like
A great watermelon pie

So he dropped the watermelon
And it landed with a SPASH!
And the emperor was yelling
As he fell down with a CRASH

Oh, that Snickers he was laughing
"Til his face was stained in tears
This had been the most successful prank
He had played in many years

Now the emperor of lions
Just got right back on his feet
All his clothes were wet and gooey
They were messy and un-neat

He looked Snickers in the eyeballs
And then Snickers heard him say,
"I will get you, stupid monkeys!
YOU ARE REALLY GOING TO PAY!"

And he stormed off to his kingdom
Where he told them all the news
And this made the lions angry
Like a newly lighted fuse.

Little Snickers was so happy
As he headed toward his home
For his prank wasn't a big deal
Oh, if only he had known!

Snickers woke up to some sirens
Ringing loudly right at four
And he heard the cry of monkeys,
"WE ARE GOING INTO WAR!"

Snickers' window broke in pieces
By a kiwi on a string
He heard many loud explosions
With battle cries and panicked screams

When he went out on the sidewalk
He asked what was going on
And a really old gorilla told him,
"Every thing is wrong!"

"The lions are attacking us!
They're blowing off their tops!
They've gone COMPLETELY BONKERS
And we CAN NOT make them stop!"

"The word is that a monkey
Threw a melon at this king
This could've been prevented
This SHOULD NOT be happening!"

Snickers looked around and saw
His prank's severe result
His island was in trouble
This was ENTIRELY his fault

Snickers climbed the highest mountain
He could see from far and wide
And the damage they were doing
It could hurt the island's pride

So Snickers got a trumpet
And my goodness, did he blow!
It drowned our screams and anger
That was happening below

Every eye was fixed on Snickers
Not one animal would blink
And the awkwardness of silence
Could let Snickers clearly think

When an idea came upon him
He looked straight into the crowd
His eyes were filled with sadness
And he said in voice aloud:

"Oh dear emperor of lions
I am sorry to my wits.
I apologize, I'm sorry
And I mean it every bit."

"To my citizens, I'm sorry
That I've broken up the peace
I'm sorry for disturbing you
So early from your sleep"

They all looked one to the other
And in unison they cried,
"We forgive you, silly monkey!"
All their bitterness had died

Snickers knitted up a sweater
(For the emperor, you know)
With a picket watch to match it
And a tie for on-the-go

There was peace among the creatures
Everything was fixed and done
Their normal lives were back
Before that stupid war begun

Consequences always come
From mistakes that we have done
It may affect the lives of others
From the choice of only one