By Lili Romann ’19

Sebastian Avila ’17 has never stopped following his dreams. The imaginative artist has received awards in his high school career through his composure of wax and charcoal pastel drawings. Avila never flips his pencil to use his eraser but instead makes “every mistake count.”

His piece “Dream On” won multiple awards, and he created it in one night. Avila encourages those who have something that they’re passionate about to compose and submit their work. He suggests that if one has adoration for something, they can accomplish great things.

“You just have to submit something and pray for the best,” Avila said. “For example, if you’re into music and you compose something, just submit it because you never know.”

Avila enjoys drawing things that come from his imagination, rather than drawing something exactly as he sees it visually. He likes the fact that an artist doesn’t need to be constrained by what they see, since they have their imagination to explore. He finds his inspiration in traveling. When he visited Hong Kong this summer he was engaged by its luxuriant vegetation.

Camille Eskell, Avila’s Advanced Placement Studio art teacher, praises Avila’s talent. “He is very dedicated, prolific and imaginative, the qualities an artist needs,” Eskell said.

Several people  have had the ability to watch Avila’s success prosper in the past couple of years. Alex McMahon ’17, Avila’s close friend and fellow artist, believes that his work is unique.

“In terms of what he does as an artist, his artwork is kind of surreal and very expressive, which is different from anyone else I know,” McMahon stated. “He’s very driven to do well at what he wants to do in the future, so he’s always trying to improve.”

Avila believes everyone has the ability to succeed if they find something they are passionate about. The successes he has achieved allowed him to put his name out, as well as even meet celebrities in the art world. After submitting “Dream On” as an assignment for art class, he found that it would bring him much more than a grade, as it allowed him to meet Ann Chernow, an artist who is featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Avila looks to continue his participation in the art community and advises all aspiring artists to “just pick up that pencil and draw.”