Could you start off by introducing yourself and telling us about who you are?
“My name is Gustavo. I’m a sophomore at MHS. I like to draw and create things. I want to go to UC Berkeley when I graduate. I have a family of five, and I live with thirteen other people.”
What do you enjoy drawing?
“I normally sketch, but I also do different types of art. I don’t paint, but I want to learn how to do graffiti art and paint different types of murals. I also recently started doing digital art and animation. Sometimes, I like to focus more on graffiti letters and sometimes, I work on perspective and figure drawing.”
How did you find your passion for drawing?
“Seeing people create so many beautiful things out of art inspires me to use art as a way of expressing myself. I like to use my art to spread messages of happiness, positivity, and unity.”
What is it like living with thirteen other people under the same roof during a pandemic?
“In the beginning, it was kind of stressful because I didn’t have anywhere to go when I needed to be alone sometimes. Over the summer, my brother and I renovated the garage and created a separate area where I could have my desk and spend most of my time. I mainly helped with setting the color scheme for the new wall we put in our garage. My brother was actually the one who taught me the basics of art.”
Do you have a favorite artist or someone whoses work really speaks to you?
“Yes. I really like Kiptoe’s artwork. He’s a mural artist based in LA and I really like his style. He paints murals of animals and tribal art, it’s really cool.”
Other than art and because you mentioned Cal being your dream school, what are your career interests and goals?
“I’ve always been interested in the science field as well. I don’t really have a dream career just yet, but I do like chemistry and engineering. I’ve been to the UC Berkeley campus a few times, and they have a beautiful campus, actually. I don’t know why, but ever since I was in fourth grade, I have always thought of attending Cal because they have an amazing science program. I’m also going to be the first one in my family to ever go to college. I want to set an example for my younger sister. “