[media-credit name=”Ark Bautista/Staff” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]

Clyde Moreno, computer science major, glances at his drawing of Steve Jobs in an art exhibit called Another Space 3, in downtown Chula Vista.

SWC artists have busted out of the gallery and taken their show on the road. This year’s Student Art Show was held at Gateway Center in downtown Chula Vista.

Pieces for the competitive exhibit were chosen by art professors.

Art major Joshua Saposnekoo, 23, said he was shocked when his professor, Brian Dick, chose his piece. Saposnekoo’s “Robert Petitjean” was an enlarged scale of a photograph taken by photographer Anthony Maule.

“I used black ink from India, a Chinese paintbrush, water, napkins and four pieces of 18 x 24 drawing paper of some sort. There were four pieces to paint, a bottom left, bottom right, top left and top right. It took me two hours to paint the bottom left because I’ve never done it before and was experimenting with the whole thing.”

Saposnekoo said professors played a big role in inspiring their students.

“All in all I felt like my professor did an awesome job of squeezing out our art juices,” he said.

Several pieces were placed with awards in each medium and were judged by a board of jurors.

First place color photograph went to “It was Saturday, I was Bored,” an inkjet by Edward Honaker. The photograph displays a chair propped on its back against a sidewalk and a wall and a man sitting upright on it.

Clyde Moreno, a computer science major, displayed a Chinese brush and ink piece of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple.

“I was striving for realism and worked on fine details,” said Moreno. “I think he’s an icon in the computer industry and I wanted to capture that.”

Moreno earned an honorable mention award for his piece.

A lot of hard work, dedication and time were put into each of the students productions, said ceramicist Natalia Cuba, a 22-year-old art major.

“Clay is like having a Christmas present, you never know what you’re going to get,” she said.

Cuba displayed a green clay teapot in the shape of an elephant. It took her about three weeks to make, she said.

“I never knew that there was so much talent at Southwestern,” said Cuba. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw these pieces on sale.”

A portrait titled “When You Grow Up” by Mirian Ortiz earned a first place ribbon. The piece was a paper maché baby with piercings, tattoos and a cigarette in between its small fingers.

Masterful 3-D designer John Dillemuth, who has taught at SWC for 10 years, had six students display their work in the show.

Robert Espinosa, one of Dillemuth’s students, created a small model titled “Living Room” made of paper consisting of a couch, a coffee table and a television.

“I try to give them projects that are challenging to challenge them as artists,” he said. “The show is vital to students’ creativity because it is a chance to show what they can do as artists.”