Editor’s Note: This is the second part of a three-part series that covers graduating art majors from UTEP and their accomplishments throughout their careers.
Leslie Ulloa-Pollock is a 22-year-old University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) student majoring in studio art with a concentration in printmaking. She exhibited her first solo art show back in September of this year and was a part of a program at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. However, her path has evolved just like her artistic technique.
Back in high school, Ulloa-Pollock participated in the engineering magnet program at Chapin High School. She was unsure as to what to do after graduation, but when she was awarded the Terry Scholarship, she decided to pivot from engineering into the arts.
Local artist, Leslie Ulloa-Pollock, is set to graduate in December with a major in studio art and a concentration in printmaking. (Aylin Montanez)
“I was lucky enough to actually get the Terry scholarship foundation, so they allowed me to actually pursue a career that I wanted opposed to a career that I needed,” Ulloa-Pollock said.
Ulloa-Pollock always had a passion for the arts, back in the pandemic she would spend her time drawing in her room. Pursuing a career in the creative field felt natural to her. However, with the help of UTEP faculty members and keeping her mind open, she was able to find her way into studio art.
“As for pursuing art here at the university, I am very on the weird path. I had started in digital media production but ended up straying away from that. Since I’m not one to really like sitting at the computer, I went ahead and opted for a class and a major that I had never even heard about until I started here for printmaking,” Ulloa-Pollock said. “I have the most amazing mentor, Navin Gonzalez, who ended up enabling me and pushing me to pursue the full major, as opposed to just doing it as a minor. I’m incredibly happy with what I decided to do.”
Printmaking is an art form that involves transferring an image from a matrix such as a woodblock or metal plate to a surface, most commonly paper. While completing the required introductory art courses for a B.F.A. in studio art at UTEP, Ulloa-Pollock discovered her passion for the discipline.
Even though she specializes in printmaking, she defines herself as a multimedia artist. Her work has expanded beyond paper. In her recent collections she has designed a jacket and bra to represent vulnerability in relationships, inspired by her own relationship with her partner.
“My favorite piece that I’ve made at the university has to be the jackets and the bra, especially because I made them as a representation of my relationship with my partner,” Ulloa-Pollock said. “I made each of the pieces to where they tear every time you put them on, so that it shows that vulnerability and that essential, rawness that you’re giving to your partner, and you’re just kind of letting them see you. You’re choosing to see if they’re going to break your heart.”
Leslie Ulloa-Pollock is a local talent that, even when concentrating on printmaking, has made several different pieces that don’t always follow the same pattern. (Aylin Montanez)
Ulloa-Pollock describes her work as “painfully natural and emotionally upfront.” As an artist, she doesn’t shy away from making viewers feel something; she believes art becomes truly powerful when it makes the comfortable feel uncomfortable. Through her creative work, she addresses important and difficult subjects such as child abuse and the harmful effects of pornography.
She has also recently transitioned into photography, starting her journey as an entrepreneur by photographing weddings and events. Despite the commercial trends in the photography world, she continues to maintain her distinct artistic style in every shot, blending business with creative vision.
“People hire you [the photographer] based off of your ability and your technique and your style of things. You [the client] are investing in this individual that’s going to capture you. You want them to photograph your essence, not just how you look, because I feel like a lot of times, and I’m very adamant about this, especially when it comes to current day photographers, they just take pictures, they just click the button. They don’t take the time to meet the people behind the camera. They don’t take the time to invest in understanding why this person wants these photographs,” Ulloa- Pollock said.zz “I want to hear your story. I truly do live by the ideology where it’s like, you never know what somebody is going through until you talk to them. And the smallest interaction you can give somebody can really change the way they feel about themselves.”
Ulloa-Pollock created a jacket art piece as a representation of vulnerability in her relationship.
Ulloa-Pollock acknowledges that pursuing a career in the arts can be challenging. Even so, she encourages anyone considering this path to reflect on their “why” and trust themselves throughout the journey. She believes the words of her art professor from when she was 18 could help anyone making this decision.
“You have to want it enough for you to have it, and for you to have it, you have to want it more than anybody else around you. You have to want it more for yourself than anybody could ever want it for you,” Ulloa-Pollock said.
Looking ahead, Ulloa-Pollock hopes to continue her artistic education and expand her photography business, all while staying committed to creating work that expresses something meaningful with the hopes of inviting viewers to question themselves through her pieces of art.
Vivien G. Noe C, is a Staff Reporter, at The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected]
