East Valley’S Daniel Edvalson Lets Creativity Flow Through His Art

The publisher of Heart Links, a spiritual magazine that circulates across the Northwest, has found an unusual source for artwork.

A 17-year-old art student from East Valley High School, Daniel Edvalson, has contributed art to two editions of the quarterly magazine, and he expects to do more.

Publisher Myra Johnson, who lives in Spokane, pays $70 for artwork that will appear on a Heart Links cover. She’s happy to give young local artists the experience and exposure, she says.

“I think he loves his work,” Johnson said. “He’s one of those kids … who takes on the challenge. He listens to what you need and uses his own artistic creativity, too.”

Such experience can’t help but boost Edvalson’s confidence that he can successfully cross the bridge from school to career.

After school one day this week, Edvalson flipped through his art journal, discussing composition, technique, media and his particular artistic interests.

On one page a detailed sketch of a candlestick stands next to a neighboring sketch of the candle and candlestick, only everything in the second sketch is melting, the candlestick included.

Another page bursts with a color and ink collage. But Edvalson is drawn to sketching faces with large eyes, high cheek bones, and long wispy hair. He’s working on an angel, with carefully feathered wings.

“I have a passion for drawing beauty,” Edvalson says.

He also has a passion for Japanese animation, which is attracting a huge following of young people in this country. Japanese animation shows up in everything from the new children’s cartoon movies of today, to computer games.

From Japanimation, as its sometimes called, to a magazine on metaphysics and spiritual resources? Isn’t that a big leap?

Not for Edvalson. It’s all art. This teenager is so focused that he’s enrolled this fall in two art classes a day with East Valley instructor Pam Smith.

Smith heaps on adjectives when she talks about Edvalson, particularly his blend of creativity and speed.

“He can listen to what Myra wants and immediately come up with a design,” Smith said. “I love how quick he is, I love his brilliance.”

“This is the best class in the world,” Edvalson says, grinning.

Edvalson connected early with art - through comics and superheros.

“My room used to be covered with comics, X-men and Spider Man,” Edvalson says. “Now, it’s covered with artwork.”

Superheros appealed to him, he says, because “I like to believe there’s something beyond what we see, something out there to hang on to, something wonderful.”

He hopes to attend Western Washington University, and move on to a career in art. His dream job would have him involved somehow with Japanese animation, perhaps even as a script writer.

As part of his preparation, he took two years of Japanese language, and would have continued this year, if the language were still offered at his school.

Then again, perhaps he’ll start his own Japanese-style animation company, here in the United States. Right in his own basement, perhaps.

After all, Smith points out, it’s been done before in Spokane, by the Miller brothers who created computer game blockbuster “Myst,” starting from their garage.