Zaida Sever
Location: 1909 Spruce Street (north of home in alleyway)
Photo by Peter Kowalchuk
Youth of America in 2021
"Does it get any better?"
"... Not at first, but it does." We have grown up in historic times, and I would like to share the hope, exhaustion, and power that has granted us.
ARTIST Q&A
What kind of story were you trying to tell with this mural? Are the two characters the same person, one older and one younger?
This mural was meant to represent the process of self-improvement. As this was one of my bigger projects post-lockdown, I used it as a chance to explore how much someone can change in a short amount of time; how your priorities and self worth can shift dramatically when your environment is no longer under your control. While not meant to directly reflect my own life, much of my struggle and evolution is contained within this piece. Yes, both characters are meant to be the same woman, just in different phases of her life: the struggling, upset, and chaotic change reflected on by the calm, developed self.
Can you share more about your experience as a youth/college student in this period of time? What struggles are you and your peers experiencing? What has helped you get through it? Are they any resources you would like to share in this regard?
My experience as a college student has been as nontraditional as it gets. I entered college during the height of the pandemic, so online courses were all I knew: I had no dorm, my tuition was manageable thanks to attending community college and scholarships, and my classes were not particularly difficult in concept. All benefits. Because of an isolated routine that was similar to my final semester of Senior year, I didn’t feel particularly “robbed” of that romanticized, action-packed university experience the movies and the older adults in my life promised; it was just another year of high school.
My struggles in these peculiar years, that continue to the present, stem from disconnecting with school as I continue to explore both my personal values and expand my presence in the arts. Projects such as StreetWise have helped me expand my portfolio, achieve financially, and network in ways I didn’t think would be possible for several years. It’s kept me busy and happy in a way that assignments and grades do not, it’s educated me in ways the censored classroom never could. Therefore, I struggle to avoid complete apathy towards my classes and to stay just motivated enough to complete my degree, before diving into the art scene fully for a while.
Luckily, I have been blessed with an excellent support system, and understand what I want to become of my passion and education. I have met incredible people in this creative community, who respect me and are genuinely eager to see where my work takes me, and I them. At home, I can’t overcredit my father who has admired and reinforced me at every turn. It’s a level of trust and guidance I don’t think I could’ve ever thrived without; it continues to be an inspiration.
What is it about comic books, film, and historical photography that inspire you? How do you bring that inspiration into your work?
I love this question! I think that knowing what inspires an artist makes their work so much more interesting, and adds another layer of story to a piece. Their style and subject matter becomes more than just what they practice, it becomes a new chapter in a long line of inspiration and aesthetic. All artists should be asked where their inspiration comes from!
Visual storytelling has become the foundation of my work, and more importantly the impact and connection made by a viewer with the story. Hence, why I rely on those mediums so faithfully for my creativity, as they are made for this exact purpose. Cinema and comic books have been an engrained factor of my life for as long as I can remember. For the purposes of art, I draw from their character design, composition, tone, and cinematography. Comics specifically contain that saturated color and bold, defined linework that I crave endlessly; the illustrative midground between cartoon and realism that I practice and reference. Finally, although any photography could qualify, historical photography is where I study the ability to capture immense emotion with a single frame, a sliver of a moment in time. Especially if they are taken spontaneously, there’s something about the ability to make a moment in someone’s life immortal and universally empathetic that’s truly powerful. If I can replicate that same understanding and connection that you feel when viewing an image of a military mother reuniting with her small child, or a widow crying over the casket of her husband, or a group of strangers protecting each other in a time of crisis... With a drawing? I have succeeded as an illustrative storyteller.
Is there anything else that you would like to share about the project?
If given the chance to improve upon the mural, or paint the same space again, I would. I think this project could be further developed and be enhanced with better composition. The themes are important to me, and I would love to take the experiences from this project and apply them to better communicate my message. Overall, however, I had a ton of fun with this piece, particularly studying lighting and creating more complex tattoo designs.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born and raised in Colorado, Zaida Sever graduated from high school and the Platte Forum’s ArtLab arts education internship program for teens in the summer of 2020. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree at the Auraria Campus in Denver and plans to work as a freelance artist and art teacher upon graduation. However, Zaida is already an active participant in the Denver art scene; her artwork has been featured in multiple exhibitions and she painted a commissioned piece for the 2021 MLB Allstar Series.
Zaida works primarily in traditional and digital 2D art, and also explores her creativity through music, tattoos, and graphic design. She draws inspiration from comic books, historical photography, and film. These mediums capture emotion and power in ways that are not tangible, but still immensely impact the view. She seeks to reveal the human experience through her drawings and paintings. Zaida hopes that viewers identify and empathize with, and even find themselves within, her artworks.
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