Whether he is painting in the Boswell Art Gallery or gracing the stage of the Garland Theater, senior Elias Ramirez is an outstanding artist in many mediums, including drawing, painting, acting and singing.
Ramirez’s love for visual art developed in elementary school and continued throughout high school. He explained, “When I was a kid I thought of [art] as telling stories, and I would draw anything that was in my imagination.”
He has also participated in several different Poly Visual Arts courses. He took Poly Beginning Drawing his freshman year, Intermediate Drawing his sophomore year, AP Drawing his junior year and AP 2D Design his senior year.
“Elias loves to draw and that is something made very clear through all his work,” Visual Arts Department Chair and AP Art teacher Arnor Bieltvedt said. “When he becomes passionate about a particular theme, he gives it a lot of life. He is able to find ways to express literal and more abstract ideas through his drawings and paintings.”
Other than his amazing artistic ability, Bieltvedt also commented on Ramirez’s character and attitude towards his peers, “He is a great team player and helps inspire his fellow students to work hard and do their best to find their own way of representing ideas.”
His support for other Poly artists extends beyond the classroom. As a two-year member of the Poly Arts Student Council (PASC), Ramirez is dedicated to helping artists gain the confidence to share their work and receive recognition among peers. He has helped plan PASC Fifth Quarters and he is committed to encouraging other Poly students to have fun with art.
Every spring, the AP Art students present their portfolios in morning meetings. Ramirez states that in sharing his work with the upper school last year he gained a newfound appreciation for the importance of art in his daily life, “Art gives me a space to produce something and it is tangible evidence of creating something.”
While he doesn’t cite a single artist or era as the inspiration behind his visual art, he states, “Usually, it’s just whenever inspiration strikes, but last year I really had to have a meaning behind my art. So it helped me emotionally express myself, as what inspired me, was what I was feeling.”
In AP 2D Design, Ramirez has enjoyed experimenting with a variety of mediums and styles; he initially focused on painting in his junior year before pivoting to ink.
When describing his style, he states, “Initially it was grounded in realism, but as I began to progress more as an artist, it’s gotten more abstract and loose.” He isn’t afraid to try new ideas, combine old ones, and push the boundaries to create something more meaningful.
More recently, Ramirez wowed the audience at the Black Box Theatre with his performance in The Sneeze.
Performing Arts teacher Sam Robinson stated, “Elias is an exceptional artist, with the ability to span comedy and drama on stage. Through the rehearsal process, he fine tuned his characters with work on accents, physical traits and a commitment to bringing the language of Anton Chekhov to life. It was a joy to work with Elias!”
Assistant director and fellow cast member of The Sneeze Hampton Persaud highlighted his creativity and dedication to acting and his ability to create a light and fun atmosphere for the people around him.
“Working with him, I was able to see that although he jokes around and keeps the downtime in rehearsals fun, when it’s time to work, he switches into character like it’s second nature,” explained Persaud.
In addition, Ramirez has appeared in past performances such as Peter and the Starcatcher as a sophomore and plans to perform in the winter play Macbeth. Each project presents a unique challenge to Ramirez and pushes him to adapt and learn.
Ramirez particularly valued performing in the Laramie Project, a play that retells the story of the 1998 murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard. He recalled, “Doing the Laramie Project was pretty interesting, just because it’s a pretty serious and respected work. Not saying the others I’ve done aren’t, but I felt like there was an air of importance to it. I was honored to be a part of it, so it is an experience I’ll never forget.”
When asked about his artistic plans for the future, Elias responded, “I just hope I stick with it; I hope that wherever I end up, I still am doing art in some way.”
Throughout his time at Poly, Ramirez has become a significant figure in the Poly artist community, and he is sure to have a bright future ahead.
