Like many of her 14-year-old peers, Peyton Widmer graduated from Pacific Crest Middle School looking forward to attending Bend Senior High School in the Fall. But, unlike much of her cohort, she already has quite a resumé: she is also a graphic designer of paddle boards, stickers, and clothing for the local Stand On Liquid brand. This isn’t as much of a leap as it seems when one takes into account the fact that her father, Pat Widmer, is a co-owner in the business. Yet it is clear through meeting the two that while proximity introduced Peyton to the inner-workings of the company, it is her talent and business-oriented process that have won her a spot in the product line up. Her process involves collecting criteria that the team is looking to include in a new product release. She asks: What is the vibe? Should it be gender-neutral or gender-specific? What is the color direction? Then Peyton gets started with dreaming up ideas and putting them together for a formal presentation. “She has us look at concepts first,” says Pat. The team meets, considers the concepts, chooses a direction and sets her on the path of fine-tuning her work. This all sounds perfectly normal for those familiar with product design—and then we are reminded that Peyton just finished eighth grade. We talked to Peyton to learn more:
What formal instruction have you had in art and design?
“In middle school I took Studio Art classes, Photography, and Design and Modeling. Ms. Reynolds was one of my teachers who was super inspiring. She’s an awesome human being and teacher and taught me so much as a person and an artist. I’m looking forward to taking more Studio Art classes, Drawing and Painting, but will start with Graphic Art as a 9th grader. I’m hoping COVID-19 will sort itself out and we can be in person for school. Digital learning is something we’ve had to adapt to, but it can be challenging for classes like foreign languages and art.”
Do you SUP (Stand Up Paddle Board)?
“I like paddle boarding a lot. It’s good for your core, as general exercise and for arm strength. No matter how challenging you make it, it’s always fun. I’m also in Nordic skiing, cross-country and track and field competitively and enjoy alpine skiing and biking for fun. I’ve paddle-boarded on one of my designed boards. I felt really proud and very accomplished that I made something that was actually produced.”
What’s your favorite river and lake in Central Oregon?
“I like the Deschutes River at the Old Mill and also from Dillon Falls to Benham Falls. I love all the lakes, but a favorite is Devil’s Lake.”
How did you start designing SUP art?
“We were on a road trip and I wanted something to do. My first drawings, they were just for fun. Later, I designed some graphics for river surf boards. One of those graphics became the inspiration for the Good Vibes Superlite board.”
What medium do you use for drawing?
“I use Autodesk Sketchbook, which allows me to draw by hand and also use tools that allow me to work with the clean lines I feel are more sophisticated.”
If you could design for any other product in the world, what would it be?
“Industrial design items. Bigger items. Probably still sports oriented. And apparel. I really like architecture, engineering, design, literature, writing and math. I would love to do graphic art for activism such as environmental or equal rights. I’d also like to do book illustrations someday!”
