A passion for art
Student of the Week: Austin Moseley
“My greatest obstacle was learning; I am autistic and learning is hard for me, but I had very good teachers throughout the years and my mom. My mom believed in me and helped me study all my school years.”
Austin Alvis Moseley doesn’t let being on the autism spectrum keep him from pursuing his passion: drawing. At South Texas College, the 19-year-old graphic arts major has been honing his skill as he prepares for a career as an animator of children’s cartoons.
Moseley recently won Best of Show at the 2021 South Texas College Juried Student Art Competition and Exhibition for his work, “Summertime,” a still life, charcoal drawing reminiscent of a Dutch master painting illustrating a kitchen table, water pitchers, watermelon, lemon, and mint, his use of a black background creating the illusion of glass.
“He is an excellent student and an impressive artist,” said one art instructor.
Moseley enrolled at South Texas College in the fall of 2020 and hasn’t looked back.
“I chose South Texas College because it is a good school and I want to learn art and become a good artist before I become an animator,” Moseley said.
Born in Edinburg and raised in McAllen, Moseley graduated from IDEA San Juan College Prep High School.
“My greatest achievement was graduating from high school and passing the TSI tests to go to college,” he said. “My greatest obstacle was learning; I am autistic and learning is hard for me, but I had very good teachers throughout the years and my mom. My mom believed in me and helped me study all my school years.”
Moseley has been drawing almost all his life.
“Since I was little, I have had an ability to draw,” he said. “I always had pencil and paper with me. I would watch cereal commercials on the TV and loved them. I could not eat kids’ cereals because they were not gluten-free and casein-free, but I would collect the boxes and draw them. That is how I began to draw cartoons.”
Through the South Texas College Graphic Arts program, Moseley is learning the finer points about art and design with a broad range of liberal arts courses, computer graphics software, and portfolio preparation.
Added Moseley. “I would recommend STC to anyone because it is a great school. I’ve had very good teachers and learned a lot from their instruction. They have been very supportive. I’ve also had support from Counseling and Student Accessibility Services. They’ve helped me be successful in my classes.”