Senior Illustrator Selected for National Exhibition
Published: February 19, 2026 | Author: Kol Gibson | Read Time: 4 minutes
Senior Illustration student August Strouse has been selected for inclusion in Illustration West 64, presented by the Society of Illustrators Los Angeles. Strouse’s 11x17-inch digital piece Meet Your Maker will be featured in this prestigious annual exhibition celebrating outstanding contemporary illustration.
Illustration West is one of the nation’s most respected juried competitions, showcasing exceptional work from emerging and established illustrators alike. Being selected places August among a competitive field of artists whose work represents the highest standards of visual storytelling and design.
“I submitted a few pieces this year,” Strouse said. “It was mostly classwork, but the one that actually got in was a little different. It started as a sketch I made to visualize some mental health struggles I’ve been dealing with.”
The piece almost didn’t make it into Strouse’s submission pool. While reviewing potential entries with SUU faculty member Hala Swearingen, August recalls her encouragement. “She saw it sitting on my computer and said, ‘You should submit that.’ I wasn’t convinced at first, but after I spent some time working on it and leaning more into the feelings that drove me to make it in the first place, I ended up really loving the result. It’s definitely my favorite out of the pieces I submitted, so I was absolutely ecstatic when I got the news that it made it into the show.”
Strouse’s artistic approach reflects a willingness to experiment across media and emotional tone. “I work in a mix of different digital and traditional media, so my style will really depend on what medium I’m working in, how I’m feeling, and what I’m making,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll lean more towards bold, dark lines with bright colors, and other times I prefer no lines with lots of texture. In the case of the piece that got into Illustration West this year, it was closer to the latter.”
That flexibility and emotional honesty are central to Strouse’s work and artistic philosophy. For him, studying art is not simply about technique; it’s about impact.
“Now more than ever, we need people to bring more creativity into the world,” he said. “In all of its forms, art is extremely powerful. Throughout human history, it’s been one of our most valuable tools for expressing ourselves and for driving change and progress. It’s important to keep that part of the human spirit alive by studying it and sharing your own thoughts, ideas, and passions with the world. That’s what makes art so worthwhile for me: being able to take things I’m passionate about and put them in a form that I can share with others.”
Strouse credits much of his growth to the mentorship he has received at Southern Utah University. “Hala Swearingen has been a mentor of mine since day one, but Ben Sowards and Paul Hamblin have also been major sources of mentorship and support for me,” he said. “I don’t think I’d be even close to where I am now without the three of them.”
August’s selection for Illustration West 64 highlights not only his individual talent and vulnerability as an artist, but also the strength of SUU’s Illustration program in preparing students to compete and succeed on the national stage. For more information about Illustration at SUU, visit www.suu.edu/pva/art.
About the College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 41 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, music, and theatre. It includes graduate programs in the fields of arts administration (MFA, MA), music education (MME), and music technology (MM). More than 60 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 900 majors in the College. CPVA presents over 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year which are complemented by the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) and Shakespeare Studies at SUU, and is affiliated with the Tony award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival (USF). Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) making SUU the first public university in the state of Utah to be accredited by all four associations. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.Contact Information
Kol Gibson
435-865-8667
kolgibson@suu.edu