Cecilia Ottens is from Milledgeville, IL and eats, sleeps and breaths art. “Art makes me feel good and gives me a way to express and stand up for myself. I get to do that all the time now,” Ottens said when asked what the best part about being an art major is.

Ottens’ love for art began in seventh grade. The art teacher she had from fourth grade through her senior year of high school was her biggest supporter, and helped her make the journey into becoming an art major. Ottens struggled choosing between a commercial music major or an art major and only decided to pursue an art major her senior year of high school.

The majority of Ottens’ artwork is described as abstract; however, some of her newer pieces could be described as contemporary. Her influences include artists like Christopher Wool, Banksy, Monet and Gerard Richter, while her favorite artists include John Baldessari, Christopher Wool, and Vincent van Gogh. Ottens also favors some street artists that typically never receive recognition.

Currently, Ottens is taking Drawing I and 2D Design. Taking two art classes in a semester is not an issue for her either. In high school, Ottens took art all four years and doubled up on art classes every year after her freshman year. In her future, she plans on taking classes like painting, photography, and even sculpture because she is hoping to focus on more than one medium. Ottens said, “I really like mixed media. I usually make mostly acrylic work that has other mediums mixed in.”

One work of Ottens’ seems simple, but it has an interesting use. She wrote the word “pretty” and the phrase “pretty good” all over a piece of sketchbook paper. After she wrote the word at least one hundred times, she found herself Googling the word to see if she was spelling it right. Eventually she found that after writing the word and phrase so many times it lost all meaning to her. Ottens said, “I forgot what the word was. I forgot the word ‘pretty’ existed, and it felt good.” She suggests that if anyone has an ugly word that haunts them to write it down on a piece paper a thousand times until it loses all meaning and can’t hurt them anymore. Ottens said, “You can literally write the word out of your life.”

Ottens’ view on art is fascinating and inspiring. On her website, Ottens has the Vincent van Gogh quote “I take care of myself by carefully shutting myself away.” Although most people would interpret this as person locking themselves alone in a room alone to shut themselves away from the world, Ottens’ likes to interpret it differently. Vincent meant that he shuts himself into his art to save himself. In many of his letters to his brother, Vincent used to say that art was all he had to offer and all that could save him. Ottens said, “Vincent is just another example of how art can drive people to madness, but comfort them greatly in the process. I relate to him on this level. I deeply believe that when I shut myself into my art, I find myself and lose myself at the same time.”

Although Ottens is unsure what she wants to do with her major, she dreams of opening her own gallery someday. Ottens said, “I look forward to including strong messages in my work and using them to express what I think is wrong and right with the world.” She’s is considering an environmental studies or philosophy minor to help her further understand and be able to discuss issues impacting our world.

You can find and “like” Ottens’ Facebook page at “Art Collection by Cecilia Ottens,” or visit her website at ceciliaottens.wix.com.