IU junior Andrew Weaver has drawn an otter every day for four years.
From prints of otters morphed into oranges to stickers of otters sporting IU gear, Weaver has done it all. He even has an Instagram account dedicated to his daily drawings.
Weaver displayed his otter artistry at the Spring Arts Market presented by First Thursdays, which take place on the first Thursday of the month. First Thursdays events are presented by the IU Arts and Humanities Council and showcase local art. This month, at The Gayle Karch Cook Center, nearly a dozen vendors sold their art to IU students and visitors.
After seeing a classmate selling art at a First Thursdays event, Weaver began selling his own work as well. While he has been drawing since he was 5 years old, it wasn’t until he heard an artist’s advice to draw the same thing every day that he began to specialize in otters.
“That really helped me to grow as an artist, because it took away the barrier of decision making,” Weaver said. “I knew what I was going to draw every day, it was an otter, and it forced me to be more creative at the same time because I had to think of different ways to draw otters.”
Weaver’s otter drawings drew in clusters of shoppers at a time as they admired the variety of stickers and different sized prints.
Weaver said in the future, he would love to sell his artwork as a primary source of income.
“No matter what, I want to fight to keep drawing as part of my life, because it’s something that brings me a lot of peace and joy,” he said. “I feel like I can impact others in a meaningful way through it.”
Harry Styles music played through a speaker as students perused the vendors, grabbing free snacks at the door. At one vendor, an artist crocheted while selling crochet hats and tops, and at another, attendees sat and posed for a $5, five-minute, hand-drawn portrait.
For freshman Melani Maselli, the market was her first time attending an art event at IU, and she said she would plan on going to events like the market more often.
“It’s really cute, and I think all the little products are really nice,” she said.
At a nearby vendor, Bloomington resident Anna Tarner sold handmade jewelry, keychains and magnets. Tarner said she has enjoyed creating things her entire life and began to take her art more seriously two years ago.
“I like to find things in nature and make them into jewelry,” Tarner said, gesturing to her handmade seashell necklaces. “I think those are my favorites because they connect a deeper part of myself with something I really enjoy doing.”
For Tarner, nature and the outdoors are her biggest creative inspiration.
“I was an outdoor rec student, so that’s very much a part of who I am in my life. Nature is the blueprint for everything,” she said, referencing the Fibonacci sequence. “I think that is a great example that art exists already in nature, just naturally.”
