FCS student showcases artistic abilities

‘Hidden talents,’ an article series featuring students at Fresno Christian Schools and their unique skills, passions and hobbies that could be considered a hidden talent. Feather journalist Lola Fuller, ‘25, hopes to introduce and highlight a few of the many unique gifts amongst the student body.

Amidst the academic, social and extracurricular pressures of high school, students may come home wondering how to unwind after long days at school. For senior Marissa Cantu, painting is a way to decompress on the weekends.

“I like to paint because it’s satisfying,” Cantu says. “When I paint I don’t really worry about anything else, I focus on what I’m working on, it helps me relax.”

Painting has been a passion of hers since eighth grade when she did her first art piece as a gift.

“My very first painting was the Snoopy Kaws art because my brother likes Kaws, and I did that for his birthday,” Cantu says. “That’s when I got into the art stuff and started painting, right now I’m working on a koi fish painting for my dad’s birthday.”

One of Cantu’s go-to artists to imitate is Brian Donnelly, also known as KAWS. She recreated four KAWS-inspired pieces so far, adding her own personal style and flare to an original.

She paints more than just Donnely’s art, though, and enjoys broadening her artistic horizons. Currently, Cantu is experimenting with impasto, a paintbrush-less technique used to give her paintings texture. 

Want to learn to paint like Cantu? Follow along as she shares how to paint using impasto!

To read more from the Feather visit, Alumni Spotlight: Juli Amodei, or Consequences of CA electric car mandate.