Reading lesson: An Emerging Artist

By Rachel Peterson

Kacey Munoz is not your typical 15-year-old. While most teenagers her age like shopping and going out together, she stays at home, where her interests keep her occupied.

“Art is my life,” she says. “I love drawing more than anything else.”

She started drawing at an early age according to her mother. “She was always so happy with crayons and markers. I just thought she was like all the other children, at first.”

What her mother later realized was that Kacey had more talent than a typical child. So she enrolled Kacey in a special school for child artists.

“Kacey’s art is emotional and evocative,” says her teacher. “She loves using new materials.”

She creates a lot of art. Her portfolio has more than 200 pieces. Her latest piece includes sand from her father’s country of origin, Ecuador.

“The sand is the result of geological change,” says Kacey. “It’s a metaphor. Everyone hates changing their life because they are afraid. But, we have no choice in the end.”

Kacey wants to be a professional artist, and her teacher likes to think this will happen.

“Top art schools already want to recruit her for college, but she doesn’t want to decide anything yet,” says her teacher. “She likes creating her art at home for now.”