Avia Collinder, Gleaner Writer

Alexis Falloon, or 'Chin', as her mother calls her, rests the narrowest point of her youthful face on the shoulder of her mom and tells us, "I love art almost as much as I love my mother."

Much of the work of young Falloon has been dedicated to the woman who has raised her single-handedly, and mom, Dorothy Miller, returns the adoration. She hopes that her daughter will one day amaze the world with her talent.

Miller states, "Chin would rather draw than eat. I quarrel with her to eat when she is drawing."

The 13-year-old Waterford High School student was one of the selected winners in the Foska Oats Fresh Look competition in the 11-13 category in October.

A super artist

She was described by the competition's sponsor as "a super artist in the making.

"She has a portfolio of work that is extensive enough to have convinced her school administrators to mount a one-(wo)man exhibition to show off her works, which include paintings and comic strips."

In the same way that some youngsters like to read books or watch television, Alexis Falloon loves to pursue her art.

Her mom explains, "She started drawing from kindergarten. When the teacher asked the class to draw stick men she did hers with clothes."

Alexis particularly loves to draw shoes, she says, because they are so full of character. "I love the details."

For the same reason, she loves to reproduce the faces of older people.

Falloon explains that her love affair with drawing "started when I was very little and my cousin Kernel would watch the Dragon Boyz on TV and also bring home the comic strips. We would draw the Dragon Boyz together - the two of us would sit and draw. My cousin eventually quit, but I took it up seriously."

The Foska Oats competition was just the most recent in a long tradition of wins for the 13-year-old.

The young artist started entering competitions in grade three at primary school, and continued to do so until she started impressing judges in grade five, when she won her first award in a credit union-sponsored competition.

She has won several awards from the Credit Union League, as well as one scientific competition, and also placed second in a Bank of Jamaica-sponsored event.

The Foska Oats competition, she said, was quite a challenge.

"I took Foska as a healthy product which could also provide strength. Foska gives you energy. During that time, the Olympics were also coming up and I got the idea of drawing an athlete."

Serious about art

Her completed work featured a healthy heart running towards the goal line.

"It was in grade five that I started getting serious about art," Alexis explains.

She is now a dedicated artist who says, "I prefer pencil or Crayola now, but my next step will be painting."

Her mother who admits, "I know nothing about art" asserts, nevertheless, "I think Alexis can go far. She does not keep company. Drawing is what she loves."

For Christmas and Valentine's Day, Dorothy Miller looks forward to the handcrafted cards made by Alexis, which she appreciates more than any bought in the store.

Love of art an advantage

Alexis says that her love of art has proven to be an advantage in doing projects at Waterford High School, where she has been a monitor at her school for the past two years, and where she has consistently placed in the top five in her class. In second form, she placed first.

The student hopes to get a scholarship to attend Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts, and explains that she is open to any career which involves art, including architecture.

"I love everything that involves art, including cartoons and clothes design."

Alexis Falloon states, "Art has built my confidence in everything. It has made me comfortable and keeps me very calm. When I have something on my mind I just sit and draw."