“My artistic process is like schizophrenic masturbation,” said senior Alejandro Salcedo in an email. “I stay hooked on the Internet because it is infinite knowledge; that way I never run out of ideas.”

Salcedo, winner of Best in Show at the Annual Guilford College Student Art Exhibit, began drawing in high school before committing to an art major when he came to Guilford.

“Art truly is a universal way of understanding culture,” said Salcedo. “Art and instinctive creative impulses are ubiquitous and ever-flowing.”

Despite this constant flow of inspiration, Salcedo nevertheless struggles with his work.

“I don’t think anything is easy about art,” said Salcedo. “Doing it a lot allows me to embrace the difficulties.

“When I am drawing, things like deciding content can be overwhelming,” he continued. “If I give too much thought to a work and pre-plan too much, the work becomes so daunting.”

Beginning with raw, undeveloped ideas, Salcedo’s work transforms and gains complexity as he creates it.

“As my skills noticeably developed, I began to experiment with art as an expression of self,” said Salcedo. “Then I realized I could tell stories without using words.”

“Salcedo’s art is a mixture of virtuoso line work and lively black and white areas,” said Hege Professor of Art Adele Wayman. “The imagery is very contemporary with influences.”

Consistently nurturing multiple ideas for his work, Salcedo became an interesting and enthusiastic individual to work with.

His concentration is to explore the unique, serial and replicable nature of printmaking, as well as to engage and respond to the creative process.

“My focus is printmaking, whether it be relief (carving into linoleum or wood) or screen printing,” said Salcedo.

Salcedo continued, “The way I carve linoleum starts with a real basic image drawn on the block. Then I go into a freestyle form of carving where I use my initial drawings as boundaries and reference points for other forms.

“If I am carving a hand, I will draw the outline then jump right into carving the interior. There are no mistakes because every mistake gets corrected by the next stroke around it. The key is to trust yourself enough to let your unrefined natural instinct come into play.”

After Guilford, the printmaker has high aspirations for his art.

“I want to have my own clothing company, maybe get into some high fashion stuff,” he said. “I would also love to get paid to do murals. Even maybe I could do some live painting, like making art on the spot at musical events or even making content for visualizers at concerts.”

Salcedo’s talent and vision have already gifted him recognition, so in a few years, check your clothing labels and local event listings: you may just see his name.