She knew it after she walked into an art gallery in Scotland last year and saw images of the human figure that were very dark, seemingly created "for the shock factor, just to get a reaction," says Jessica. Depressed by what she viewed around the room, she wanted to leave the gallery quickly. But that day, discomforting as it was, convinced Jessica how much she wants to draw, paint, and sculpt something quite different" light and life-affirming images.

"It showed me that I want to make a difference," says the graduate of Richard Senior High School in Texas. Such light is found in the work Jessica completed for her AP Studio Art General Portfolio, and chosen for the 1996 poster. This work, entitled "In the Presence of Jesus Christ" and completed as part of a series, was a "spiritual piece" for Jessica.

Explaining how the work evolved, Jessica says she first asked her twin sister, Candice, who is also an artist, to take a Polaroid picture of her. Then she drew the self-portrait from that photograph. "I had my sister take the picture when I was praying. I wanted it to capture the emotion of that moment," says Jessica, who lives in Hurst, Texas. The piece was the second in a series; the first was of her sister, her eyes closed and holding a light in her hand. "It shows the truth is right before you but since her eyes are closed, she can't see it," Jessica explains.

The self-portrait, shown here, was done using Prisma color pencils on paper. "It speaks of bringing darkness into light. The light is smooth. The darkness is textured, like it's marble or stone. I was praying at that moment. It's trying to represent when you get to the point where you can't go on anymore," she says. To Jessica, the drawing shows "a strength that looks beyond this world, that is found on a spiritual level, and that is bold and patiently waiting for fulfillment."

If she speaks with optimism and about how art is comforting to her, it wasn't always so. In her freshman and sophomore years in high school, she says she struggled to find her identity, but then hit a turning point: "I thought there's no way I can find my identity in what everyone else thinks. When I decided to give that up, everything changed -- my artwork and everything."

Her AP Studio Art class and teacher were part of this positive change. Jessica was a member of the first AP Studio Art class at her school. She says her art teacher, Sina Coulson, "was absolutely incredible.... She's just one of the most positive people, and she cares. She's not only a teacher; she's a very good friend. She made a major impact on my life."

Ms. Coulson "made the arts exemplary at Richland Senior High School," Jessica says. After her May 1996 graduation from high school, Jessica and her sister traveled to Europe for four months, taking an art tour and volunteering at a youth camp in Scotland. It was an exciting trip that deepened her commitment to pursue art. Seeing the cathedrals, the "incredible sculpture everywhere," and the paintings, she found that "the whole summer was inspiring for artwork. I took notes everywhere."

After the summer of art study and travel, Jessica has been taking courses at Tarrant County Junior College, Texas. She hopes to soon attend the University of Texas and wants to eventually get an advanced degree in art. She would also like to return to Italy to study the human figure and sculpture.

Like the paintings she has seen by John William Waterhouse, an English nineteenth-century painter known for his rich and sensuous images, and the symbols in European cathedrals, and the sculptures of the human body, Jessica wants her art to provoke an emotion. But she does not want it to be one of shock value. Instead, she says, she wants to create art "that's going to make people feel good and affect them in a positive way."

"Basically what I want to accomplish as an artist is from knowing that the world is so affected visually," she explains. "Everyone is affected by what they see. I want, through my artwork, to send a message and portray an emotion that people can see." Recalling the day she traveled to the gallery in Scotland, she says, "In the art world, I think they need that light to shine. It's just like a candle in a dark room "they need that!"