There are many sides to every tale, and the narrative depends on the storyteller. On occasion, a nifty bard will be able to convey even the most unexpected sides in a powerful way.

Just like every good story, senior Andrew Tebeau has crafted his high school narrative into a multifaceted one.

While most people know him as an athlete and a hardworking student, Andrew explores his true passions in art.

“I like doing art a lot, but I guess its not something most people know about me,” Andrew said. “Its something that I’ve done for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was always drawing and painting.”

Andrew has been dedicated to art since the very beginning; art classes have been on his schedule during every semester. Within four years, he has taken almost every art class offered at FHC, including Drawing and Painting, Photography, and AP Studio Art, to name a few.

“Out of all the art classes I’ve taken, my favorite one would probably be AP Studio Art,” Andrew said. “Most of the pieces in my portfolio came from that class, so its helped me a lot.”

Taking an art class isn’t easy, and each semester class required that students dedicate time outside of class to their work. While many students struggle with this, Andrew is able to find time for art even with intensive sports schedules.

“[Art classes are] really heavy class loads,” Andrew said. “There’s so much stuff to do, and you have to do most of it on your own time. I think the hardest part is just staying on top of it all. If you enjoying doing it, though, it’s not that bad–and I enjoy doing it.”

Not only does Andrew spend time doing his art homework, he paints pieces completely independent of his class. He even has a mini studio in his home where he spends his time immersed in creativity.

Andrew enjoys painting portraits the most, and he shows great strength in that field. From the concrete images to abstract ideas, Andrew does it all.

“When I took AP Studio Art last year, my concentration’s theme was Showing Emotion Through Portraits Using Color,” Andrew said. “In each portrait, I would relate a certain color to an emotion, and then I had that color be the main theme of that piece.”

Even though Andrew loves the familiarity of portraits, he’s not afraid to branch out. Through taking classes in graphic design and photography, he has learned about the many sides of art.

“Taking Photography [this year] is fun, but I’ve never done anything like it before,” Andrew said. “Learning to develop each photo is really cool, and we learned a lot about how a camera works. The process of developing a photo is crazy; you have to use all sorts of chemical solutions on your film, and learning about it really made me appreciate photography more.”

They say that hard work pays off; in Andrew’s case, it paid off in the form of an incredible opportunity.

Andrew was recently accepted into the University of Michigan’s Stamps School of Art and Design. There, he will be able to truly spread his wings and explore the rest of the artistic realm.

“The art teacher [at FHC], Mrs. Allen, told me a bunch of great things about the Stamps program,” Andrew said. “It really got me inspired to apply there. Both of my neighbors went there too, and they absolutely loved it. The school has so many amazing opportunities, and that’s what drew me to it.”

Now, Andrew is considering going into graphic design at Stamps. Art will be a part of his future, and he knows that if he spends his life doing what he loves, he will be happy.

If his life is a narrative, art is surely a part of the happy ending.

“I don’t know exactly what path I want to take yet because there are so many to choose from,” Andrew said. “No matter what, though, I know that art will always end up with me somehow. It’s been with me forever.”

[Note: the amazing portraits shown in this piece are all done by Andrew.]