Early in her career, Clementine Nicholas focused on portraiture. Now, at the ripe age of 17, she is being commissioned by people to create charcoal renderings of their dogs and cats based on photos they send. She’s back to drawing people as well—more detailed versions these days than when she was in grade school. 

The Cohasset native, who has already been exhibited at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, says she didn’t realize anything about her own abilities until people started reacting to her work. Before that, she saw herself as just “doodling over the years.” 

She is not impressed with herself. “In my family,” she says, “it is not unique to have a skill,” referencing both her grandfather, noted Hingham artist Michael Weymouth, and her mother, silk painter Anna Nicholas. 

As for the future, the rising senior at Vermont’s Putney School had thought she might like to go on to Rhode Island School of Design. But now she’s not so sure. Because she is a self-taught artist, she wonders “if it would be more beneficial to go to school for something that I have been less successful learning on my own.” With that in mind, she is thinking of shooting for the stars, literally. 

“I have had a longstanding interest in astronomy,” Nicholas comments. “It’s something I’ve been interested in since I was very young. I didn’t think I was smart enough to pursue something like that. But I’ve had a lot of teachers this year tell me that I was being ridiculous for thinking that. I guess it’s more of a viable option now that I’ve had some people who are familiar with how I learn things tell me that they think I can.”

Wherever she goes, we suspect she will be taking her charcoals with her, along with the watercolors in which she has been dabbling. For Nicholas, whatever directions she takes, the sky’s the limit. In the meantime, you can find her and her work on Instagram @darling_orange_art.