Jonathan Huang ’19, Nishant Thangada ’19: “Art is all I know and love. The thought of me studying anything else is hard to imagine,” explains February’s Artist of the Month, Paloma Zozaya ‘18. Art has been a part of Zozaya’s life since realizing the power of expressing herself through images in Lower School. She says, “I wasn’t a good writer in Lower School, so my teacher had me draw out the stories in class just to make sure I was comprehending.”

At EA, Zozaya is heavily involved in both the visual and technical art programs. She is a member of various art related clubs including Domino Board, CCC Gallery Board, and Epolitan. She explains, “Pretty much if you ever need to find me I’m in CC221 working on a project. On average I probably spend 15 hours a week in the studio, not including time in art class.” This  amount of time she has dedicated to her projects has earned her the nickname “studio rat” from Chair of the Visual Arts Department, David Sigel. Zozaya’s hard work also granted her an invitation to Big Timber, a major arts convention in Montana.

In addition to her contributions in visual art, Zozaya is also involved in the technical theater program at EA. She helps out with props and set design: specifically scenic painting. She explains how she “earned the nickname Painty Paloma for being constantly covered in paint.” Zozaya’s past work adorned the sets of former plays and musicals including The Witches, Sound of Music, You Can’t Take it With You, Hairspray, Peter and the Starcatcher.

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“STUDIO RAT”: Zozaya and Sigel stand side by side, proudly showcasing hours of hard work Photo Courtesy of Pia Singh ’19

Zozaya’s love for art extends beyond school as she pursues various opportunities that can help her improve as an artist. At home, she completes her own artwork, most of it being either graphic design or oil painting. She says, “Whenever I travel, I bring a sketchbook so I am constantly drawing. That practice improves skills immensely.”

Theater and Dance teacher Kelly Bertucci, adds, “Paloma is one of those students who goes above and beyond no matter what the task.  She is dedicated to her art and constantly strives to better her craft. I find she is able to balance the critique process and hard work with the fun and joy you can find in art.” When asked about Zozaya’s stand-out qualities, Bertucci responds, “Paloma engages in each project she works on and invests all of her talents no matter the task.  She is always the first to volunteer and jump in when something needs to get done.”

Zozaya’s mind is set to pursue arts in college. She explains, “I’ve been wanting to go to arts school since I can remember – the first college I ever knew was Parsons. I have been working on my portfolio for college since fall of my sophomore year.” This summer, she will be attending a pre-college program at the Rhode Island School of Design for six weeks. There, she will be taking classes on campus and getting the full experience of a college art school.

As for Zozaya’s advice to aspiring artists, she explains, “One thing I hear a lot is ‘how can you draw that? I can’t even draw stick figures,’ and I always respond by saying that you can’t draw stick figures because you don’t practice. I didn’t just wake up yesterday and be like ‘Hey, I wanna be an artist!’ and just make the stuff I do today within a forty minute class –  I’ve been practicing everyday for years.”