by Cami Gonzalez

It’s 3 o’clock in the morning and senior Gustavo Esquinca is working on his art piece at the absolute last minute. He holds the paintbrush at a perpendicular angle from the canvas, and adds the final touches to his painting.

Esquinca, since age nine, knew that art was his passion—when he’s not pulling pranks in the Journalism room.

“I don’t think of my art as a ‘hobby’ because is it a major aspect of my life and something I plan on pursuing in my field of study,” Esquinca said. “I have had many different inspirations for my art over the years. Just as interest and priorities change as I grow up, so do the ideas behind my art.”

After high school, Esquinca will move to Denver and attend Rocky Mountain College of art and design and peruse a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and interactive media.

“I’m going to miss my art class and the teachers I got to grow close with throughout the years,” Esquinca said. “But what I’m going to miss the most is Ms. Antebi always saying that my worst artistic quality is my inability to get anything done on time.”

Art teacher Barbara Antebi has taught Esquinca since his freshman year.

“He’s been my student too long. Sometimes I feel like I gave birth to him. I should take him as a tax deduction,” Antebi said. “I’ll miss him not getting his assignments done; but what I really will miss is watching him grow, and I’m really anxious to see what he’s going to do when he gets to college and how the things that he’s learned over the past four years are going to play into that.”

Antebi believes that the best part of being a teacher is watching her students mature in their art.

“I believe that his intuitive way of understanding what is in my head and his ability to translate into his artwork has made a personal impact on me,” Antebi said. “Gus’s worst artistic quality is his inability to get anything done on time and his best is his incredible talent for illustration.”

During his sophomore year, Esquinca’s mother wanted to transfer him to another school, but Antebi convinced her otherwise.

“I’m glad I stayed here for as long as I have. Ms. Antebi has pushed me to get to where I am today,” Esquinca said. “I didn’t expect to learn as much as I have. She taught me how to think like an artist and to respect my work.”