Artist of the Month, August 2026: Reya Thomason
By: Amber Ford, The Mountain Times
When we think of our community members who are gifted in the arts – whether it be painting, crafting, or photography – we think of our friends and neighbors who piece together collections we can shop at our local farmers market and art nights. But one particular artist whose talent has swept the mountain is none other than Mt. Hood Villages resident Reya Thomason. An 11 year- old Welches student, Thomason is honing her craft at an early age, creating pieces of jewelry shining with passion.
A gifted and talented artist, Thomason’s creative journey into making jewelry began a few years ago. “I started with clay beads, and have most recently been using pony beads, with a combination of shapes and letters,” she said. Her inspiration was borne of curiosity. “My sister and I were at our friend's house one day and we got to make jewelry with her,” she said. “Then we got some bracelet making sets of our own and it has grown since then,” she said, adding “That is when I started to really get into making bracelets.”
Although young in age, her dedication to her craft has become a large part of her education. Crediting other artists and teachers she’s had on her journey, she has gratitude is in abundance. “I’m really inspired by two substitute teachers I had in school,” she said, adding “Miss Danella and Miss Allie have their own business creating things and I love their stuff so much.”
She is also looking forward to next year’s art class with Mrs. Carrier and gives much credit to her family members who have passed down their own creative skills. “I’m always inspired by my mom and auntie,” she said, adding “they both make a lot of cool stuff, especially for costumes and theme parties.”
Thomason’s passion for creating art includes other mediums as well. “I like drawing quite a bit, because you can draw whatever is in your mind, even favorite characters from books, really anything you want.” Although her creativity has carried her into a variety of art forms, it’s the love of jewelry and its process where she finds the most freedom. “Making bracelets has been so much fun because you can customize them with whatever you like,” she said. She went on to say “I like making bracelets with different characters from book series that I like, like Demon Slayer and Wings of Fire. I love all of the color combinations and like matching my jewelry to my outfits.”
She explains that one of the best things about her bracelets is the ability to change them out and play around with different combinations and colors. “They make people happy when they buy them and put them on.” As if this young artist wasn’t already making progress with her small business, her ability to understand the inspiration for her work sounds wise beyond her years. “My favorite thing about making jewelry is that you can create anything you want,” she said, adding “Making jewelry relaxes my mind and makes me feel calm, it can be like meditation or art therapy,” she added.
With one market under her belt – as a vendor at Mt. Hood Pride in June at Coffee House 26 – this young creative will also be showcased at this year’s Crawdad Festival at The Skyway in August. In a world where kids are frequently distracted with social media platforms, Thomason’s ability to forge her own path and create her own happiness shines a light on younger generations needing an outlet for their own creativity.