Cameron Maas – Billings Senior High School

Senior High student Cameron Maas, 18, is the artist behind the Grand Avenue MasterLube mural, which depicts an outline of the traditional Senior High bronc mascot filled with doodles of high school life, including school activities and clubs. Cameron wanted to keep the tradition of using the mascot, but also wanted to do something different.

“I started with pen and paper, working in black and white,” Cameron said. “I picked a shape then, just started filling it with whatever came to mind. Then, I took a high-resolution photo of it and brought it into PhotoShop to add color.”

Cameron has had a passion for drawing since he was very young and has plans to pursue an art education after he graduates this spring. He will be attending the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. He’s open to where his education takes him, but he is thinking of specializing in illustration or concept art to eventually work on movies and video games.

When he’s not putting pencil to paper, he has been involved in sports, playing football for Senior High and high school club lacrosse. Cameron’s parents are Brett and Brenda Maas.

Brittini McConnell – Laurel High School

Carley Haskell – Billings West High School

While all the other artists in this year’s MasterLube Mural contest were high school seniors, Carley Haskell, 14, a freshman at West High, took on the challenge in just two short days. Her simple but striking mural design is on display at the King Avenue location and it includes the West High golden bear mascot against a yellow backdrop.

“I tried for a really modern design, but it turned out a little bit vintage looking, which I didn’t mind,” Carley said.

Seeing her artwork finished and on the wall fulfills one of Carley’s longtime dreams.

“Ever since I was small I’ve always wanted to have my art on the MasterLube wall. My parents and I would talk about seeing my art on the wall when I reached high school every time we would drive by,” she said.
Although Carley is a few years from graduating she said she would like to teach art at either the high school or college level. Until then, she’s going to gain as much art experience as she can. Her favorite medium is black ink, and she likes drawing portraits.

Carley is inspired by her mother, Susan Bryan, who is an artist and her grandparents who were also artists. Carly’s father is Bart Haskell.

Robbie Hurt – Billings Skyview High School

Robbie Hurt, 18, went through more than a few ideas before settling on a realistic looking falcon for Skyview High’s mural on the Heights MasterLube store. Finally, he grabbed a high-resolution photo of a falcon from a National Geographic Magazine article and worked his magic on the computer. The result is a simple, monochromatic falcon in Skyview High’s colors that is a work all his own.

Hurt has been taking graphic design classes at the Billings School District 2 Career Center, but his interest in art goes back to childhood. His mother worked at the pool and he would go with her to open and while she worked he would draw in his notebook.

“Art has always just been a way for me to express myself because words don’t come as easily,” Robbie said.

Painting the design on the wall proved to be another challenge, and Robbie called on his brothers Joey and Mikey for help along with his swim team buddies Caleb Lyda and Jon Phlughoft and a few other friends.

“It took a long time because there was so much detail,” he said.

Robbie plans on attending Montana State University Bozeman in the fall and will pursue a degree in graphic design. Robbie’s parents are Billy Jo and Robert Hurt.

Claire Woody – Billings Central Catholic High School

Claire Woody, 18 spent all four years at Central High without ever taking an art class, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have the talent it took to design the school’s mural on the wall at the downtown MasterLube location. The mural portrays the Central High Ram mascot and a cross in a stained-glass window design with both black and white and color elements.

“Drawing animals is one of my strengths,” she said. “I sketched out about a dozen ideas picked two from them and mixed them together on my iPad.”

She reached out to about 12 friends who took turns helping her paint the design on the wall.

“A lot of people think they’re not artistic. They just need something like this to realize that they like it,” Claire said.

Claire discovered her love for art from her mother, Michele McKamy, an artist who has worked in nearly all media from sketching to sculpture. Though art comes naturally, Claire said she is more interested in science and plans to attend the University of Montana this fall to study wildlife biology.