Sometimes artists must pursue unconventional paths to follow their passions.
Sarah Mosca is an undecided sophomore artist who decided to pursue her interests in art after serving in the military.
“I’ve always loved art. I’ve been drawing since I’ve developed any memories really,” Mosca said.
Mosca works with a wide variety of mediums, but took an interest in metals last semester.
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“I was really intrigued by metals because I already started out with drawing and I love drawing. That’s like, I feel like it’s the source of all my art where everything began,” Mosca said, continuing, “So, taking something that was basically just a sketch, an idea, something pulled from the imagination and real life, and then being able to transmit that into more of a 3D object, there’s just a certain level of satisfaction with that.”
Though Mosca wanted to go into art when she got out of high school, her family wasn’t too keen on the idea.
“My family was going through a lot of hardships and they would quote the classic trope, you know, ‘starving artist,’” Mosca said, further adding, “So like most people in my family, you focused more on something that can bring food to the table instead of, you know, your passion.”
The career that put food on the table for Mosca was the Air Force. Mosca believed she would stay in the military for the rest of her life, but eventually had to leave due to medical problems.
”When I was stationed in Japan, I had a severe case of pneumonia where I almost died. I was sick for like three months and I don’t remember one and a half months of it. And kind of from there, it was steadily downhill,” Mosca said
Mosca eventually ended up with nerve damage and spinal issues, which left her disabled and unable to move without assistance.
“When I got out of the military I actually had a walker,” Mosca said.
Though she is now able to walk, the nerve damage has not gone away. This made it difficult to pursue art, but not impossible. Mosca found a creative solution when her nerve damage threatened to stop her from painting her final project in Art I.
“There were nerves pinched in my neck and in my shoulders, and I started to lose function in my hands,” Mosca explained, “I couldn’t hold the paint brush for the end of that project and I didn’t know what to do, so I just duct taped it.”
Not only did this resilience help Mosca get through hard times, but it has also helped inspire her work. She often uses life as an inspiration and described life itself as struggle.
“No one goes through life unscathed,” Mosca said.
This can be seen in her piece “War Horse,” which is on display in The Juanita Harvey Art Gallery.
In the creation of “War Horse,” Mosca used a mixture of techniques. She took the plasma cutter, a tool usually used for cutting the metal, and a mig welder, which is often used to weld pieces together, to add texture along the piece.
“Life takes chunks out of you, kind of like the plasma cutter taking chunks out of the metal,” Mosca said, “Or it leaves scars, raised like the mig welder.”
In the base of the piece, the word “Go” is written repeatedly. Mosca explained that this repetition represents the drive she has in herself.
“Oftentimes, for myself personally, the only thing that keeps me going is a drive and I don’t exactly know where that comes from,” Mosca said.
Mosca intends to pursue art once she finishes college. As for now, she is learning and creating at her own pace. Though life has thrown her curveballs, art has been a constant outlet for her.
“Art, whether we realize it or not, is like oxygen. It plays a part of our everyday lives, it’s just that most people don’t realize it,” Mosca said.
