Spotlight On: Jessica Padilla

Art has always been a part of Jessica Padilla’s life. She’s gone from drawing stick figures to making three-dimensional pieces using art and color.

Padilla, a sophomore dual arts education major at Rowan University, has had her work has been displayed in the student gallery/exhibition located on the second floor of Westby.

Padilla’s first experience with art occurred in her early childhood, as she watched her older brother Damon sit out in the open and sketch the nature around him. He also painted on glass and this quickly caught her attention and interest in art.

“I was basically terrible before I started high school. I was still doing stick figures in middle school and beginning of high school,” Padilla said.

It wasn’t until Padilla enrolled in Schalick High School in Pittgrove, N.J. that her work began to show great progress. Schalick is a regular public school located in Salem County that has a program called The Art Academy. It gives students hands-on experience and offers academies such as visual arts, dance and drama.

Padilla explained that it helped students understand art as a way to express themselves and allow them to find themselves as artists.

“It helps see talents in students and what they want to do and helps them build that skill,” Padilla said. “The art academy is based on the basic forms of art. You do art history, we mix everything and the final year you have the choice if you want to do advanced placement and get credit for college. It’s all preparing you for college in that sort of subject.”

Jane Graziano, an associate professor in the art department and Padilla’s adviser for the art education program, reviewed her portfolio when she initially applied to the department of art at Rowan.

“Jessica came highly recommended to us from her high school art teacher and one of our own student teachers who met her while teaching Jessica’s high school art class,” Graziano said. “Jessica interviewed with me because she wants to become a visual arts teacher.”

One of the most compelling projects Padilla did was displayed in the student gallery/exhibition in Westby. It was an assignment for her three-dimensional design class, called the “1,000 Things Project.” Just as the name signifies, the professor wanted everyone to create something three-dimensional using 1,000 items.

The project itself was a stressful one, she explained, but in the end, she decided to use buttons.

“I did not know what I was going to do so I closed myself in my room and prayed like crazy,” Padilla said. “I needed serious help and God helped me by having me think of what a button is used for.”

The completed work was a jacket made completely out of buttons. Not originally having a plan to go by, Padilla just looked at the jacket and began to improvise it.

Professor Herbert Appelson of the art department had Padilla in both of his drawing classes.

“Her work was of the highest quality,” Appelson said. “Her art work represented a new way of thinking and break from the conventional.”

Padilla has plenty of semesters to improve her work even further at Rowan, and plans on taking part in many more exhibits in the Art Gallery.

“All of my creative juices come from Jesus Christ,” Padilla said. “My artwork seems to turn out better when I remember to pray.”