Working for tips, Powell’s Augusta Larsen set up her paints and organized her brushes before the crowd arrived Thursday at Plaza Diane. As the music started for the Plaza@5:30 weekly celebration, a line of excited children arrived to greet her and get their weekly fix of face paint. The kids didn’t know it but Larsen is about to hit the road to add international studies to her artistic education in hopes of building a future as an artist. Each face painted is helping her develop the needed skills and pay for an expensive semester on the Emerald Isle.

Larsen will fly to Ireland July 13 to complete two educational programs. The first two weeks Larsen and other students and professors from the University of Wyoming will be at the Galway Arts Festival for both art and history lessons. The second part of her trip Larsen was accepted by Burren College to do individual undergraduate study abroad in Ballyvaughan. Larsen will be enrolled in the college until mid-December.

Burren College of Art is an internationally recognized, independent art college in Ireland. Located in Ballyvaughan within the Burren region of western Ireland, it specializes in undergraduate and postgraduate fine art education and offers programs like individual and group study abroad, artist residencies and workshops.

The college is known for its unique location, providing a supportive and inspiring environment for artists and students to develop their creative potential. Larsen hopes to refine her style and find new inspiration from her immersion in the culture.

Irish culture is a vibrant tapestry woven from a deep connection to the land — something they have in common with those from the Cowboy State. Key highlights include traditional music, the energy of Irish dance, and the strong sense of community found in pubs and festivals. Ireland has a long history dating back to ancient Celtic and Roman influences from two millenia ago that can be seen throughout the country.

Larsen’s well known use of vibrant colors is a nod to the region where she grew up.

“I always say that I am as colorful in my art, because Wyoming is simultaneously very colorful and also very sagebrush colored. So I always use very bright colors for that reason,” she said.

It’s not just the beauty of the state that has inspired her career choice. A Powell teacher also helped.

“Jane Woods has always been my favorite teacher. I loved her in middle school. I had the option of taking band or taking art, and I chose to do art with her,” she said. “She’s sort of the reason I do face painting at all. I’ve been helping her with Homesteader Days and Plaza Diane events forever.”

The admiration goes both ways.

“She is a wonderful student,” Woods said.

Larsen has already livened up Powell with her artwork. The idea to do the mural on the Coulter Avenue side of the American Legion Post 26 headquarters came from Larsen. She received Legion scholarships to help pay for school and, while at the ceremony, members of the group asked if she was interested in the huge project.

“They were like, you should come do a mural for us,” she said. But she knew the project was too large for one person. “I was like, I don’t think I can.”

But after discussing the idea with Northwest College Assistant Professor of Foundations, Painting and Art History Anne Toner, the entire class decided to help make the dream project come true. Now, as folks drive past the public facility, they get to enjoy some of Larsen’s work that shows a great deal of pride in her state and love for her community.

“I helped with a little bit of the labor work on this mural here at Plaza Diane,” she said.

She’s probably being modest. She didn’t quit when the American Legion mural extended past the end of the semester and the rest of the class headed home for the summer. Instead, she and fellow student Christina Herrera finished the mural alone during their summer vacations.

Business emphasis

The art industry is a tough business. Building a successful art career requires not only artistic talent but also strong business and marketing skills and a heck of a lot of persistence. Success often depends on factors beyond an artist’s creative juices and technique. Understanding the business side of art may be the difference between a dream and reality. That’s why Larsen is attempting undergraduate degrees in both fine art and business.

“[Looking at art as a career] is a little nerve wracking, to be honest,” she said. “That’s why I got my business degree, so I could have a little bit better idea of what I was getting into.”

She has already developed a small business doing commissioned art projects; mostly portraits. But she has done a number of different projects, including window painting and pet portraiture. Being flexible is important for making ends meet.

“If someone has an idea, they can come to me and I will do my best to figure out how to do it for them,” she said.

Larsen graduated from Northwest College with Associates Degrees in Applied Science in Business and Fine Art. She’s finishing her undergraduate work on both degrees at the University of Wyoming. She also comes from a family of artists and entrepreneurs. Her mother, Justine, is a noted painter in the area and her father, Scott, has been a graphic designer for decades and also has a cottage business designing and selling T-shirts. Irish blood runs through both of their veins.

“There’s an Irish connection on both Scott’s side of the family as well as mine. Her great-great-grandfather was Michael Madigan, and he, from what it appears, was an illegal immigrant to the United States via Canada into the Dakotas,” Justine said. “He was either born on the boat from Western Ireland, or was born once arriving in Ottawa in what is their equivalent of Ellis Island.”

When the couple went on a short vacation to Ireland in 1997, they weren’t able to spend any time searching records, but they hope that while Augusta is in Dublin she will have the opportunity to search records for long lost relatives from Ireland.

The dream

Larsen said while her career is still evolving, she dreams of becoming a narrative illustrator, telling stories with her art. She could work on graphic novels or illustrate books. She also hasn’t ruled out doing work online.

“I do a lot of oil paintings with an illustrative kind of focus. I have also done ceramics work. I did all the ceramics coursework available at Northwest while I was there. And then I do my own digital work and I’ve been experimenting in that direction. So I’m sort of a mixing pot of all types of art,” she said.

But until she graduates and is forced into the working world, she’s going to soak in as much inspiration as she can to expand her experiences.

While Larsen is lucky to have scholarships covering most of the expenses for the trip, she was surprised by the cost of a student visa.

“I’m like, $1,000 short,” she said

Those wishing to help her out can find her painting faces Thursday nights at the Plaza. Get there early, the line to be painted by Augusta is usually pretty long.