Art is something everyone learns as a child, but few carry it as a hobby through high school, even less are actually really good at it, and only one gets Sterling Scholar for Visual Arts at Highland high school. Samuel Meikle is that one selected student.
Meikle described how it was his father’s influence that inspired him to apply for the Sterling Scholar. David Meikle is a famous artist in Utah who won Sterling Scholar for Visual Arts in 1987, and his son Sam, is following in his footsteps.
Meikle has taken art classes every year since third grade, and he continues to paint every week—if not every day. Being in high school art classes has only furthered his interests. He is extremely motivated through working with his dad on numerous projects and continues to look forward to different art shows and competitions.
One of which is Springville. To many that name might not mean anything, but to Meikle it meant everything. It was the start of newfound confidence in himself, and it was a competition that proved that he was every bit an artist like the ones around him.
“I was able to prove myself when I won the Senate Visual Arts Award—one of the biggest awards in the state for painting,” Meikle said. “It’s shown me that hey, this is really something you could pursue. This is really something you could do.”
Meikle is not only an incredible artist, but is also a well-rounded, multi-talented person. Along with art, his passions lie in politics, religion, cars, tennis, golf, and caving.
“There’s something about [caving] that just frees the mind. Anything that can allow me to escape and go up into the mountains, I’ll just go do,” Meikle said.
Meikle often goes into the mountains to escape the pressure of life, and caving is something that allows that for him. Along with exploring the caves of the American West, Meikle finds joy in painting the landscape of the American West.
“Getting lost in striking vistas and quiet canyons, the colorful sunsets, and towering clouds, there really truly is no other place like it. I find myself when I’m telling the story of the west.” Meikle said. “I love telling the story of the American West. I think through painting, you’re able to get a lot more across than just regular writing. There’s power in that.”
Meikle described how his work tends to put an emphasis on ethos, shapes, and colors. He doesn’t just paint the scene in front of him, he creates it.
To Meikle, in painting, he is able to express thoughts and feelings he wouldn’t be able to normally express. Despite this, he is not the typical artist, and yet he is a very sociable and friendly person.
One of Meikle’s closest friends Gemma Leonard described how Meikle is someone who is able to get along and talk to anyone, no matter the situation or person—especially adults. He is able to have a conversation with anyone and make them feel comfortable even if he has never met them before.
“He’s very, very funny. It’s like you never know what to expect when in a conversation with him,” Leonard said. “Any experience you have with him is very unique.”
Meikle has an ability to make anyone around him feel listened to and cared for, and he puts the same attention to those around him that he does in his art, and it really shows—especially with winning Visual Arts Sterling Scholar.
