Vermilion Catholic senior creates priceless gift

Jude Miller, a senior at Vermilion Catholic High School, just like many kids that age, began drawing around 12 and described his art as ‘just okay’. Five years later, his artwork has gained many fans, and he has credited that to practicing and being inspired by other good artists.
The 17-year old says that sometimes, he does get to the point where he wants to draw and create, but there is this thing called artist block. Much like writer block, it can quickly become difficult to either finish or begin something you want to encompass. With Miller, he tries to get inspired by looking at work from other creators, hoping an idea comes to mind.
Some artists can take years to finish their pieces of art while some take months or days. That is how it is for Miller.
“It all depends on the piece I’m working on,” he said, “I rarely finish a piece in one day. I usually spread them out over some time, which can vary from weeks to months.” Miller says that he doesn’t like to stick to one theme, but he can usually create anything with much detail if he has a pencil in hand.
Some families are full of artistic and artfully talented people. Still, Miller says that the only person he can think of that is talented in this way is his grandfather, and Miller’s mother, Sonya, agreed. “Although Jude’s drawings have much more detail and depth to them comparing it to my father’s work, I do believe he did get his artistic abilities from my father,” she said.
Miller’s grandfather, Larry LeBlanc, used to draw and paint his own Christmas decorations that he would put on display every year before he passed away. Miller’s family is proud of him and his fantastic talent and admire his passion and hard work that he puts into every piece that he creates. It is refreshing for them to see someone draw again after losing someone who enjoyed it so much.
Having enough art to fill an exhibit, Miller has a few of his favorites. Although his favorite art is done by using a pencil, he has painted, too.
“I’m glad my drawings had gotten much better since I think it used to be bad when I first started. It took a lot of practice.” He will draw it if something comes to mind, and there isn’t much out there that he can’t draw. Some artists stick to portraits, scenery, even abstract art, but once Miller feels inspired by something, he gets an idea and draws it, which could be anything, even animals.
One favorite is a portrait he drew of his late cousin, Kalix Broussard, who passed in a terrible vehicle accident in January of this year.
Kalix’s father, Bubba Broussard, recalled the moment he received the portrait from Miller.
“Jude drew this for myself and my wife as a wedding gift,” he said, “Kalix passed in January, and my fiance’ at the time and myself were planning our wedding for a couple of years prior of Kalix’s passing.” Despite the wedding being so close to the date of Broussard’s son passing, Broussard and his fiance’ decided to continue with the wedding.
“We knew in our hearts that Kalix would not want us to cancel, so we continued with the wedding as planned, which was in March,” he said, “This was one of our gifts from Jude, and it meant the world to us and still does to this day as it sits in our living room overlooking us every minute of every day,” Broussard said.
Though Miller is undecided on the path he will take in life, he is sure his drawing will never leave him. “I do want to go to college, but I’m not sure what I want to go for yet, but I don’t think I’ll ever stop drawing,” he said. As far as a favorite artist, Miller has many that he follows on social media and says that naming a few wouldn’t do justice to anyone.
Miller is known to be a special person, as said by his family and friends, but to have a special person with that much talent who can gift someone something like Kalix’s portrait says a lot about his character. “We know there are so many people proud of him, and I think he knows that. We just hope he never forgets it,” his family said.