Last story in a month-long series on Tri-City arts educators
When Evelia Espinosa was five years old, in her native Mexico, her grandmother bought her a set of pencils and paper to encourage the young girl to draw.
She told her, “Do whatever you want. Just feel your colours.”
The tools unleashed Espinosa’s imagination and fuelled a passion in the visual arts.
At university, while obtaining her bachelor of fine arts with an emphasis on art and education, Espinosa studied the techniques and colours of the great masters such as Diego Rivera and his wife, Frida Kahlo.
Later, Espinosa put her skills to use at an elementary school, where she also taught art therapy, for a decade.
But 13 years ago, after she lost her father-in-law, Espinosa and her husband decided it was time to lead a better life — away from the hustle and bustle (and poverty) of Mexico City.
They chose to make their home in Coquitlam though neither Espinosa nor their kids — then aged five and seven — could speak English.
Espinosa studied the language, with the help of ELSA teachers at Coquitlam Continuing Education. She joined the Port Moody Art Association, the Federation of Canadian Artists and the Art Focus Artists Association to be with her peers and, eventually, took part in solo and group shows around the Tri-Cities.
And, to make income, Espinosa took on two students to teach art from the family home.
Within three months of opening her business, she had 10 students under her wing and, by the end of the year, she had 40 students learning the basics of drawing (pencil, pen, charcoal and pastel) and painting (acrylics, oils and watercolours).
Five years ago, to meet demand, she opened the Evelia Espinosa Art Studio, a 600 sq. ft. space at the base of Moray Street in Port Moody.
Today, she guides 170 students travelling in from around the Tri-Cities, Langley, Burnaby and Maple Ridge, from September to June.
Her weekly, one-hour classes for 10 young students each have waiting lists despite lessons offered after school five days a week and four times on Saturdays.
Espinosa also employs two high school students as assistants to give them individual attention.
“I want them to open their minds to the colours and emotions,” she said during a tour of her studio last Friday. “I want them to feel the whole thing they are creating and to see life in a whole new perspective.”
She added, “The sky isn’t just grey or blue. It’s red, orange and pink depending on the time of day, and that’s what they need to express.”
Espinosa can see many of her students are over-programmed with extra-curricular activities such as soccer and karate; however, when they pull up a chair and sit in front of a canvas, their minds empty and they relax.
“They become different people,” she said. “They are wanting a break from their lives. And what they do is amazing!”
Each year, Espinosa showcases their artwork at a display at Port Moody city hall to demonstrate the young talent in the community. This past June, more than 500 pieces were exhibited.
Parents, too, see the progress.
The change of mindset often boosts their children’s academic successes and, in some cases, causes them to rethink their life path. Some of Espinosa’s students have gone on to study at the Vancouver Film School and at Emily Carr University of Art + Design — a post-secondary institution in Vancouver where Espinosa herself is currently an illustration student.
“Whatever I learn, I try to pass it down to my students at the studio,” she said. “That way, we all improve.”
