You probably have heard the sentiment in the Erie community that Prep is just a sports school. Many people feel that if a student wants to be successful with creative activities such as art, music, or theater they would be better off choosing a different school. However, this is far from the case, as Prep has a rich tradition of strong creative programs. With the consolidation of Prep and Villa, The Rambler wanted to highlight students who continue to make these programs progress.

One student who has continued to have her artwork highlighted at the school is senior Julia Malinkowski. Julia is an alum of St. Jude grade school and went to Villa prior to this year. Art has always been something that she has been interested in.

“I think I specifically started liking art when I learned about artists conveying deeper meanings in their pieces,” Julia said. “I tried to add more meaning to my art from there, and after practicing so much, art just became a pretty big part of my life.”

One of the many beautiful things about art is the many forms that an artist can create. Cathedral Prep offers painting, ceramics, and drawing classes. However, Julia has a preference in which style she prefers.

“I typically create water color, acrylic, colored pencil, and pen and ink pieces,” Julia said. “Out of all of them, I’d say acrylic is my favorite, specifically because of the versatility, and because I enjoy painting portraits with it.”

As she mentioned with how art became an important part of her life, the deeper meaning behind paintings is many times a big inspiration for artists. This deeper meaning behind pieces has inspired Julia to create some of her best works.

“I think my best works are acrylic paintings: one is a painting, done on a thrifted vinyl record, of the band Gorillaz, as it is a modified version of their album cover for Demon Days combined with a painting done by Piet Mondrian, and a portrait I completed for a college portfolio that has more of a darkness to it,” Julia said.

As with all things it takes practice, and with practice comes people who have stepped in to help teach Julia how to get better.

“I used to take art classes with a local artist named Kim Kloecker, and her artistic ability and overall character has always been an inspiration,” Julia said. “She truly pushed me to be a better artist, and I wouldn’t know the techniques I do now without her teaching.”

Since Julia is a senior her time with the Cathedral Prep art department is coming to an end; however, this will hopefully not mark the end of her art career.

“I would love to continue art in the future,” Julia said. “Hopefully, when I have enough money and am financially stable, I can open a small studio somewhere or sell my art to people online.”

Overall, Julia’s contributions to the school have been outstanding. An important concept behind the reconstruction of the school was the STEM department as new technology and learning spaces were catered to help students grow in these pursuits. Julia has helped show how the potential use of the spaces in order to help students thrive. This is highlighted by the impact she has had in her classrooms on an individual level.

“I’ve had the privilege of having Julia in a few of my classes now, and have watched her artwork progress from an original seed of a thought to a full blown masterpiece,” art teacher Ms. Schalk said. “Julia is driven by her interests and passions, and [she] channels that into the subjects of her work. She is bright, vastly creative, and greatly contributes to conversation and the classroom atmosphere.”