Aiming for state

Last year, senior Sade Oyedipe submitted one of her pieces “Cheese Dreams” to the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) where her piece received a superior rating and was sent to region. Working on two pieces to submit for VASE on Feb. 10. Oyedipe aims for her pieces to make it to the state level.

Since Oyedipe was three and could hold a crayon or pencil, she was drawing. Whether it was on the walls of her home or an elementary school project, Oyedipe said she loved to do anything that incorporated art and thrived off situations where she could be creative. Because she enjoyed art in elementary school, Oyedipe knew early on that she wanted to pursue art seriously.

“I remember going to specials and art would always be the highlight of my entire week,” Oyedipe said. “In fifth grade, we had a school yearbook design contest and art started to become a real thing for me when people started voting for my art to be the cover [of the yearbook]. It was nice to get recognition for something I did for fun and it wasn’t until that moment of winning the competition that I took art seriously.”

Oyedipe’s initial interest in art in elementary school led her to continue art in both middle school and high school. Oyedipe, who has never been trained at a studio, said taking art in school has been her only instruction and exposure to developing her skills.

“Ms. Davis, my elementary school art teacher, taught [me] the early stages of art theory,” Oyedipe said. “She was the one who really sparked my initial interest in art in and deepened it for me. I had Mr. Nguyen in middle school, and he’s the one who strengthened my technical skills with art and that’s when I learned to make my work even better. [Art teacher Jennifer] Russell, here at Hebron, has been a huge influence [in helping me] achieve art at a higher level through going to VASE and entering my pieces in it.”

While building off her love for art, Oyedipe’s family and friends have been supportive of her. Oyedipe said her family and friends are impressed with her work and often give her compliments.

“My friends think my art is cool and honestly they’re the best because they’re always curious about what my next project is going to be,” Oyedipe said. “My family has also been supportive of my art. They think it’s really cool and my mom and dad are mesmerized by my talent because I have never been trained in a studio.”

Through Oyedipe’s love for art and the positive feedback she has received from her pieces, Oyedipe has decided to continue pursuing art in college. Although her family and friends have been supportive of her, her mom was initially skeptical with her decision.

“Once I told [my mom] I was interested in illustration and graphic design, fields that are blowing up, she was more comfortable with it,” Oyedipe said. “I [chose] graphic design and illustration because I’m interested in technology and art combined think it would be cool to see how I can apply [technology] to art. This will open [me to] marketing and advertising. ”

Currently, Oyedipe plans to go to Savannah College of Art and Design, School of Art Institute of Chicago or in-state colleges like University of North Texas, Texas Woman’s University, and The University of Texas at Austin. Wherever Oyedipe decides to go, she said she knows art will continue to be an important aspect of her life.

“To me, art means freedom and communication,” Oyedipe said. “There’s a lot of different ideas that you can express through art and there’s many different concepts and areas you can communicate and share to people. It’s really beautiful how through visuals you can express yourself and communicate it with the entire world.”