For Julian Vidales, an art teacher at Pebble Hills High School, winning first place in the 2025 SISD Employee Art Show was a profoundly meaningful experience.
His 10-foot-tall painting titled “Sheer Grit,” which depicted a boxer roaring as he pounds his chest with a clenched fist, was a heartfelt tribute to his father, who fought cancer for 25 years.
The painting showcased not only Vidales's artistic talent but also themes of resilience and strength.
“I knew it had to be bigger than anything I've ever painted before, you know, just because to me he was larger than life,” Vidales said. His father, Ramon Vidales, died on Jan. 5, 2025.
The SISD Employee Art Show featured more than 100 entries from teachers, principals, transportation staff, and more. They showcased their personal stories and perspectives through an impressive array of artwork, including ceramics, acrylic paintings, mixed media pieces, and photography.
The contest honored first, second and third place winners in the categories of art teachers and non-art teachers during a reception at the District Service Center on Sept. 4, which would have been Ramon Vidales's 73rd birthday.
“To have this as a reward is a great ending,” Julian Vidales said after winning first place in the art teacher division. “I'm doing this now to help other people. There are so many people that go through similar stories.”
The event was an opportunity for everyone to share their creativity and passion for the arts.
Candace Printz, the assistant director of Fine Arts, said that the art show aimed to showcase the artistic talents of SISD employees, regardless of whether they have formal training or not.
“Some people have these hidden talents that nobody ever knows until we have an exhibition like this,” Printz said.
To make it more inclusive for employees, art teachers competed against one another, while other district employees competed in their own category.
“Some of the employees have said, ‘Well, I'm really nervous. I've never done this before. I've always had this passion for photography or drawing or painting. And so, I'm really putting myself out there.’ And so, they're very excited,” Printz added.
Kertrenia Wright, the principal of Benito Martinez Elementary School, finds joy in doing pottery, which also helps her relieve stress.
Every weekend, she spends a few hours at a pottery class molding clay into bowls and other ceramic pieces. One of her creations, titled "Bisque to Beauty," features three unglazed (or bisque) ceramic bowls and four glazed bowls, and it won third place in the non-teacher category. She explained that the bowls symbolize how we all start from simplicity, shaped by our experiences and challenges, until our unique beauty emerges.
“This is my favorite time of the year when we get to, as employees, show our expressions of art,” Wright said. “It’s so exciting. Just to even be a part of it is amazing.”
Although she had always been interested in painting, Luz Olave-Gilbert, a second-grade dual language teacher at Myrtle Cooper Elementary School, only began painting in June after starting to use an online program.
The school’s principal encouraged Olave-Gilbert to enter the Employee Art Show. She submitted a watercolor painting of a single mauve rose, which she described as representing inner journeys and creativity. She was excited to share her artwork with the public.
“What I got from this is that it pushed me to do my very first original piece after three months,” Olave-Gilbert said. “Otherwise, I think it would have taken me many years to do it.”
SISD 2025-2026 Employee Art Show Winners
Art Teacher category
1st Place
Julian Vidales, Pebble Hills High School, “Sheer Grit”
2nd Place
Elena Sotelo, Desert Wind School, “Lacrymosa”
3rd Place
Allison Vega, El Dorado High School, “Te Kuia O Te Moana/The Elder of the Ocean”
Non-Art Teacher category
1st Place
Ryan Stead, El Dorado High School, “Treasure Awakened”
2nd Place
Greta Brasgalla, SSG Manuel R. Puentes Middle School, “Venetian Kaleidoscope”
3rd Place
Kertrenia Wright, Benito Martinez Elementary, “Bisque Beauty”
Click here to watch a video of this story on SISD-TV News.