Jahida Heela is a Las Positas College alumni and artist. For her, creating art is akin to a meditative experience, affording her a therapeutic escape into the realms of creativity. We see this exploration of materials and composition in Leather Jacket.

Below, Heela describes her process and experience of art making:

The realm of art occupies a profoundly significant and cherished space in my life, serving not merely as a source of joy but also as a means to achieve equilibrium. Beyond the domain of casual leisure, art functions as my sanctuary—an enclave for both inner tranquility and uninhibited creative expression.

I find a particular fascination with graphite and charcoal realistic paintings for their capacity to intricately capture details and elicit emotive responses through the nuanced interplay of black and gray tones.

Leather Jacket was acquired in 2023 by the Art on Campus Task Force as part of an ongoing effort to grow the LPC art collection, with a focus on local Bay area artists and LPC student artists.

Credit: Nike Site Funds, CLPCCD’s Board of Trustees, Art on Campus Task Force