{"id":8180,"date":"2015-09-01T22:59:21","date_gmt":"2015-09-02T02:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=8180"},"modified":"2016-05-06T12:13:00","modified_gmt":"2016-05-06T16:13:00","slug":"httpwww-thevalleyledger-comp1904-41","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=8180","title":{"rendered":"Interview with JESSICA ROSE GASPER By: Janel Spiegel"},"content":{"rendered":"

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First off, please tell us a little about yourself and how you got into Art?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I was\u2026different. My imagination was quite extensive, from being a teacher with a chalkboard for my dollies, to planting jelly beans in the woods with a crystal ball in hand, and building playhouses out of cardboard boxes. I remember knowing how to color inside the lines, and that my elementary art teacher would show my artwork to my peers frequently as an example of what a project \u2018should look like. I\u2019ve entered every poster contest I could get my hands on, trying hard to impress my parents by gaining media recognition as early as first grade. Yet, in high school, I truly started to grow as an artist. Scholarship competitions, classes at the Baum School of Art, local juried art shows, murals, and commissions in my community were some of the things I pursued as early as sophomore year. In fact, anytime I could escape class to be creative I was there!<\/p>\n

When I began my undergraduate at Kutztown University, after transferring from Arcadia University where I studied Speech Communications with the goal of being in mass media, I started to understand myself a little more each year. It took six years for me to receive a BFA in Communication Design, with a concentration in Advertising, and a BS in Art Education. I live without regret, and I couldn\u2019t be happier with where I ended up in my career.<\/p>\n

What made you decide to choose The Alternative Gallery?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m the type of person who either can\u2019t fall asleep because the gears are always turning or wakes up in the middle of the night to jot down ideas for conceptual series for my personal portfolio, and who scribbles out contemporary lesson plans for school projects that I hadn\u2019t even seen on Pinterest. So, when I took a tour with Brandon Wunder through the Cigar Factory\/Alternative Gallery, and felt my soul wake up after seeing other artists\u2019 work on the walls, who produce that same mindful madness, I instantly threw down a deposit. It was an out-of-body experience, really\u2014I felt like I was finally \u201chome\u201d with a family who would actually accept me for ME.<\/p>\n

Please tell us about the Artwork you do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I always had a passion for Art\u2014I didn\u2019t think much of it until I started to do it for myself and not just as a job. It comes natural to me. Some people say it\u2019s a gift. Others call it talent. For me, it\u2019s been a blessing\u2026but it hadn\u2019t always been that way. The artwork I\u2019ve done as a teen has morphed into a more mature young woman, and it reflects in my portfolio.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n
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What personal achievements have you been working towards?<\/strong><\/p>\n