{"id":74017,"date":"2025-12-03T05:50:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T05:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/74017\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T05:50:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T05:50:29","slug":"the-raw-journey-of-artist-leslie-ulloa-pollock-the-prospector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/74017\/","title":{"rendered":"The raw journey of artist Leslie Ulloa-Pollock \u2013 The Prospector"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: This is the second part of a three-part series that covers graduating art majors from UTEP and their accomplishments throughout their careers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"\"Local artist, Leslie Ulloa-Pollock, is set to graduate in December with a major in studio art and a concentration in printmaking. (Aylin Montanez<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d Ulloa-Pollock said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs 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\u2019m 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,\u201d Ulloa-Pollock said. \u201cI 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\u2019m incredibly happy with what I decided to do.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite piece that I\u2019ve 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,\u201d Ulloa-Pollock said. \u201cI 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\u2019re giving to your partner, and you\u2019re just kind of letting them see you. You\u2019re choosing to see if they\u2019re going to break your heart.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Leslie Ulloa-Pollock is a local talent that, even when concentrating on printmaking, has made several different pieces that don\u2019t always follow the same pattern. (Aylin Montanez<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Ulloa-Pollock describes her work as \u201cpainfully natural and emotionally upfront.\u201d As an artist, she doesn\u2019t 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 shot, blending business with creative vision.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople 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\u2019s 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\u2019m very adamant about this, especially when it comes to current day photographers, they just take pictures, they just click the button. They don\u2019t take the time to meet the people behind the camera. They don\u2019t take the time to invest in understanding why this person wants these photographs,\u201d Ulloa- Pollock said.zz \u201cI want to hear your story. I truly do live by the ideology where it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUlloa-Pollock created a jacket art piece as a representation of vulnerability in her relationship.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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 \u201cwhy\u201d and trust themselves throughout the journey. She believes the words of her art professor from when she was 18 could\u00a0 help anyone making this decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou 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,\u201d Ulloa-Pollock said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Vivien G. Noe C, is a Staff Reporter, at The Prospector and can be reached at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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