Ron Anderson, Charlotte Riley-Webb, and Sophia Lacroix. What do these people have in common?  They're all hot, contemporary artists who are taking the art world by storm.  All of them have either sold many pieces of art or have won numerous awards for their talents. Being an artist isn't an easy job; it takes years of work to be a good one.  Most people feel that to be an artist, a person has to be born with the gift, but experienced artists will often say that's not true. Yes, creativity is a trait one must be born with, but what comes of that creativity must be honed and skills must be taught for an artist to excel. Oftentimes, highly skilled artists like the trio mentioned above started honing their crafts early in life similar to the plight of some student artists described below.

Several student-artists cited in this article are truly gifted. They are John Trevino, Aja Roache, and Tony Boyd. And they're on-the-rise contemporary artists who are currently in school learning how to turn their creativity into beautiful pieces of art.

John Trevino

Howard University graduate student John Trevino is majoring in painting and has a long history of drawing. “I was one of those kids in school who was always good at drawing.”  Trevino’s father worked a variety of commercial art jobs, which gave him a lot of exposure to the world of art.  His senior year in high school helped him make a decision about his future. He took a painting and drawing class and in the following fall he enrolled as an art studio major in college.

Trevino grew up in Long Beach, CA, but decided to move a great distance from home because he was interested in earning an MFA degree at an accredited HBCU. When Howard accepted him, he decided to make the cross-country move, and he has never regretted it.

When asked to explain the kind of painting style he specializes in, Trevino said, “I have been working with the idea of being able to work out of many different voices. I want to develop a style that mirrors the way DJs are able to conjure up different moods and memories by the records they spin while in the mix." He further added, "I’m interested in moving fluidly from a realistic design to something more energetic and expressive of the materials I’m working with.”

Since he’s been at Howard, Trevino has won many awards in the university’s annual student art exhibitions.  He won first place in drawing twice in 1997 and this year; also first place this year in painting and the Best of Show competition. The Lovers, Landscape, and the We Be Clubbin collection are a few samples of his work.

Aja Roache

Aja Roache, a Florida native, is currently a senior at Florida A & M University.  Majoring in fine and visual arts, Roache first realized she wanted to enter the art world when she was a senior in high school. There she took photography and journalism classes that helped hone her creative abilities.  Adding to that fact, her father was an artist as well, as she stated,  “Art has always been a part of my life.”

When Roache entered college, she wanted to take art history classes with a focus on studio classes. After she acquires her bachelor’s degree, she plans to apply to graduate school and study African-Caribbean cultures and art history. She believes art appreciation classes are beneficial to her education, but she wants to go deeper into the field and become a specialist.

In 1999, Roache entered some artwork into a Benedict College competition that featured artwork from students who attend major Historically Black Colleges and Universities. It was in this competition where she accomplished her first feat selling one of her pieces. She contends her real inspiration came from her father. “I saw how much it benefited him because he enjoyed painting, and it made him happy to say the least.  I hope people will see my work and get inspiration as well.” Some of her artistic works are displayed as followed: Masai Princess, Shattered, and Mandela.

Tony Boyd

Tony Boyd, a graduate student at the University of Arkansas, can’t wait to graduate and break out into the fascinating world of art. Born and reared in Arkansas, Boyd majored in graphic design as an undergrad. After he graduated, Boyd fell into a job that was as far away from graphic design as one could get.  It was there where he got the inspiration to pursue his master’s degree. “I was drawing one day at work and an employee told me that I should consider getting into a career involving drawing. At the time, I told him it was just a hobby.” Then, he  realized he had a talent and decided to attend graduate school.  There, Boyd decided to major in drawing. He has won numerous awards and been showcased in many areas. Boyd won a contest to design the University of Arkansas Admissions’ Web site logo and he won the Oldman-Yoes scholarship competition within the art department.

Boyd was also a cartoonist for the university’s school newspaper for three years and designed posters for the 1998 Visiting Artist Lecture Series at the university. His immediate plans after graduate school call for landing a job in the graphic design field, but ultimately he wants to focus on his painting.  Here, we see some striking samples of his work including two posters from the 1998 Visiting Artist Lecture Series and Still Life in Blue.

Michael Marcelin is a senior communications major at the University of New Orleans and also an editorial intern at THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine.