By ALEXANDREA BAILEY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
At the Art Lounge’s upcoming unveiling of its Whimsy exhibit, an 11-year-old artist, Emma Garza, will present a live painting performance for her first time ever.
Shelly Hamsa, owner of The Art Lounge began mentoring Emma this past summer. Angel Loo, an artist specializing in acrylic and oil cloudscapes and has sold pieces worldwide, also lends his knowledge to young Emma.
Lisha Garza, Emma’s mother, first noticed her daughter’s artistic talent when she was around five years old. According to Lisha, Emma first gravitated towards Western art. Lisha imagined this was because of Emma’s fondness for animals, especially horses. Young Emma would draw on almost everything, says Lisha, and made plenty of “glitter messes.”
“She was never like a Barbie kid…She was always pencils and markers and glitter and glue,” said Lisha.
Emma says she started dabbling with art in kindergarten.
“I fell in love with art right then and there,” said Emma.
Emma began expanding her talents in art class at Mid Valley in Weslaco, Texas. She began showcasing her pieces in art shows, like the contests hosted by livestock shows, under the guidance of her art teacher, Mrs. Schneider.
According to her parents, Emma regularly brought home first-place ribbons.
“She [Schneider] was very fun. She was strict, but not too strict,” said Emma.
Unfortunately for Emma, Schneider retired, leaving the young aspiring artist without a mentor. When Shneider retired, Emma’s parents noticed how upset their daughter was.
“She [Schneider] was a big part of her life,” said Garza.
Emma’s mentorship at The Art Lounge was inspired a year later after a conversation between Hamsa and Emma’s father, Enrique Garza. He expressed the belief he and Lisha shared in the talent of their daughter, as well as her ambition and desire to learn more about art. He illustrated their deep-rooted need to continue encouraging Emma to keep doing what she loves.
Hamsa, who was a social worker in her past life, was immediately receptive to the idea of mentoring Emma as she had been heavily considering ways to influence and educate local youth in the realms of art.
“A lot of the art programs have been cut and a lot of kids aren’t getting those opportunities around here,” said Hamsa. “I want to have a positive impact on the community, and I want to encourage children to appreciate, experience and love art.”
Hamsa says the timing was perfect. It was almost like fate, she believes.
“I had literally just said to the artists, ‘We need to start giving back. We are artists. We need to share this gift with people, especially the children around here,’” said Hamsa.
According to Hamsa, Emma’s parents’ willingness to do whatever necessary to keep Emma creating art was a huge part of what made the mentorship possible.
Emma says she loved the Art Lounge immediately.
“I was nervous and excited. When I met Shelly, it was fun. I love Shelly,” said Emma.
The feeling is definitely mutual, as Hamsa holds astounding confidence in her pupil. She explained that there are many talented children who are good at replicating what’s in front of them, but Emma’s originality is unique.
According to Hamsa, Emma doesn’t box herself into making sure her technique is flawless. Instead, she allows her creativity to flow throughout the painting process. Emma says she enjoys the versatility art allows her. She says “You can do anything with art. You can never mess up. There’s no possible way.”
According to Emma, when she’s being mentored by Hamsa, they have fun while creating their masterpieces. She goes into “the zone” when she’s painting. She says it’s calming, especially on rough days. Her favorite medium is painting with acrylics, but she doesn’t have a favorite piece she’s created. She says she likes them all. Most, if not all, of Emma’s paintings feature her signature glitter.
“My favorite color is glitter,” said Emma.
She’s excited for her live painting at the Whimsy Exhibit’s Opening Reception on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 7-9 p.m. Lisha hopes the experience will help her daughter grow even more than she has in the last few months throughout her mentorship.
Emma says she is unsure of what she wants to be when she grows up, but she knows art will always play a huge role in her life.
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