Creating jewelry builds confidence for Ashland teen - OregonLive.com
With her hair pulled back and goggles perched on the bridge of her nose, Isabella Ash carefully uses a torch to heat and fuse the metal. She watches in fascination as the fire melts the copper into a shimmering bronze liquid that enables her to create beautiful metal works.
"Fusing and melting metal is really mesmerizing," Isabella said.
The creative outlet is an escape for Isabella, whose home life has cast a dark shadow over her education and friendships. Her parents' relationship is complicated and tumultuous, leaving her feeling helpless. But she's in control and free when she makes art.
While other students fill Ashland High School's halls with mundane chatter, Isabella can't keep her mind off the latest fight between her parents.
"It's hard to function as a normal teenager when you can't dissociate what's going on at home and what's going on at school," said Isabella, a 16-year-old junior.
Her family hasn't been able to find stable housing. The strain leads to increased tension between Isabella's parents, she says, and her grades have also dropped as a result.
Isabella seeks comfort in the arts. With a wide variety of art electives offered at her school, Isabella is able to pursue her favorite hobbies. From metal welding to stained glass making, she's tried it all.
She chooses the metal, texture and color for her projects. No teacher looms over her and no rules limit her imagination.
"I don't like to follow the rules or the books," Isabella said.
Her favorite form of creative expression is jewelry making. She's enthralled by the soldering process of fusing metals. Whether it's pendants or bracelets, Isabella wears her creations with pride.
"It's hard and very frustrating at times, but at the end it's really satisfying," Isabella said.
Before getting into the arts, Isabella felt paralyzed and unable to take charge. She's now more comfortable asserting herself.
"Art has given me confidence in myself I didn't know I had," Isabella said.
-- Maria Pena Cornejo, Parkrose High School
This story was produced by student reporters as part of the High School Journalism Institute, an annual collaboration among The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon State University and other Oregon media organizations. For more information, go to OregonLive.com/teens.
