Local teen finds joy in what she calls ‘doodling’

Story by Kim Nussbaum | Photos by Erika Carter

Lillian “Lilly†Klapper is almost 14 years old, and she has enjoyed art all her life.

She said she likes to look at different pictures and landscapes to see the colors in them before recreating them on paper. Although her maternal grandmother was a local charcoal artist, Lilly hasn’t had any formal art lessons yet, but she said she’s thankful that her mom, Daisy Klapper, helps critique her work.

Lilly’s paternal grandparents, Valerie and Tony Klapper, proudly display many of their granddaughter’s art pieces in their home at Possum Kingdom, and Lilly said she hopes to have her art displayed in more homes someday.

Lilly said her art is just a hobby, not a career goal, and she works on most of her creations on the floor of her bedroom. She said there’s a place in the room that lends itself to a lot of sunshine, and that’s where she finds her inspiration.

Lilly said she’s always been a doodler, and she especially loves working with watercolors and sketching with pencils. Her career goal is to go into interior design.

Lilly said she feels that if she aspired to be an artist it would ruin her love for her craft.

When she isn’t doodling, Lilly spends time in Devil’s River and Big Bend hunting with her dad, Cody Klapper. A hunting video of hers went viral on social media platforms when she was 7 years old, reaching close to 70 million views at the time.

Lilly attends First Baptist Church, where she is painting a mural on one of the walls, and she’s also involved with Vacation Bible School and other church endeavors where she can assist. She also enjoys archery, theater and performing in one-act plays, and it should also be noted that she’s an award-winning thespian.