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Mentoring

And so it began ….

 

 

Our story started off simple in 2006 I became Klaudia's art instructor and mentor. Little did I know that this arrangement would become so much more! Klaudia was 12 years old and had a passion for art and design and was looking for someone to take her to the next level. I on the other was an experienced designer with both traditional and digital skill sets plus 23 years of industry experience. With a very busy schedule and tight deadlines I would've never guessed that teaching would be added to my agenda. But, Klaudia was special. I felt a connection with her right away. She was very serious about art and design for her age and I could see that she was talented.

Gina Frehill artist
Designer Gina Freehill and Klaudia Seura photo

As Klaudia moved forward it was important for me to keep her well rounded. As much as the world has gone digital I find that using traditional skills to create fine art offers a sense of freedom and originality when composing ideas to achieve a desired result. The computer on the other hand offers the ability to instantly reproduce imagery, add layering effects and quickly create multiple color shifts, which could otherwise take a lot of time. To me the magic combination is taking traditional art and combining it with digital design. Doing this helps you create art that is trendy & unique but still has a classic appeal. These are methods that I taught Klaudia.

Artist Gina Freehill

 

 

When Klaudia entered High school she was interested in learning fashion design. I then started to work with her to create different surface designs that could be applied to apparel. After completing several pieces of art we had the designs printed

on t-shirts, sweatshirts, tanks and sweet pants.

 

At this point I started to teach Klaudia the business side of things. Producing design work that is marketable, from concept to Rretail. Klaudia began wearing her apparel designs to school which caught the eye of her classmates and teachers. She started selling her apparel at school and was learning how to run her own small business. Klaudia was also approached by the teacher staff at the Schaumburg HS to design artwork for various school athletics & band such as: Cheerleading, Volley Ball, Golf, Orchestra, etc.. This was a very exciting opportunity for her!

 

As Klaudia and I continued classes she excelled very quickly. By the time she was getting ready for college, I was helping her enter several art competitions, and also applying for different college scholarships. One of the art competitions that Klaudia applied for was the “In an Artist Discovery” the Congressional Art Competition sponsored by the House of Representatives, Klaudia's acrylic painting “Neon Lights” was chosen to hang in Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth's office, located in Washington D.C. for one year! During that same year (2013) Klaudia became Columbia College's Achievement Scholarship winner of $28,000! 

 

Designer Gina Freehill KADI
Designer Gina Freehill and Klaudia Sekura

 

When Klaudia started college she was already one step ahead! Moving at a very fast pace she landed a paying internship her freshman year, and still being able to keep up with classes and continue private lessons with me. By her second year of college Klaudia started designing an apparel collection called

KADI KLOTHING where she was offered to sell her apparel in SHOP COLUMBIA.

 

623 S Wabash Ave, first floor, Chicago, IL 60605

KADI

Artist Gina Freehill
Artist Gina Freehill
Artist Gina Freehill
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