Written by Regina Ender
Ivana Quezada felt she had no other option but to become an artist. Not to pursue this passion would be to neglect her God-given ability. Choosing to earn her degree in visual art with a concentration in drawing and painting and a minor in art history ensured Quezada could develop her skills and maximize on her potential. Even before college, Quezada’s art was earning national recognition. When she was in high school, she won the 32nd annual Congressional Art Competition for her color-pencil portrait “Age,” which was displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year after. She eagerly anticipates when more of her work can be prominently displayed for audiences in the future.
Quezada is getting plenty of firsthand experience working in galleries, having interned at Flower Pepper Gallery in Pasadena and Actual Size Gallery in Los Angeles and serving as a gallery assistant at Claremont Museum of Art. Now a college graduate as of spring commencement, Quezada plans to work at an art museum or gallery while focusing primarily on further developing herself as an artist. Eventually, she hopes to pursue an MFA in drawing and painting.
At APU, the budding artist just displayed her own collection of art for her senior thesis exhibition in March. She called the collection “Protomatter,” meaning “the ultimate basis of physical substance before it has been given form.” She aimed to make her art ambiguous, not referencing anything in particular to intentionally stray from a definite shape or state. The “Protomatter” artist cultivated her collection over the course of two years, showing her evolution as an artist when her earlier work was juxtaposed with her new creations. Through seeing her own growth, Quezada learned that while her work is her own, she could not have accomplished all she did without the encouragement and guidance of her professors who have made her a more confident and skillful artist, she said. Because of their influence, she has learned not to hold back in her art, breaking the status quo and exceeding requirements while always aiming to better herself. Her mentors have also encouraged her to practice being enthusiastic about her work because an artist has to be excited about their pieces or no one else will be. In addition to her professors’ influence in her artistic journey, Quezada said they have also played a large part in the development of her faith, motivating her to trust God in her process and use her creativity to bring Him glory.
Words of Wisdom: “Set high standards for yourself and be persistent in hard work, always do more than what's expected.”
