Young El Cajon entrepreneur

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Where does inspiration for good artwork come from these days? Try asking that question of a budding youthful artist from El Cajon named Jayden Crenshaw. Recently turned 11, Crenshaw might say that inspired art comes from those experiences you enjoy most from living.

Crenshaw loves gaming. And he loves the imagery and graphics he sees as he plays.

Where does inspiration for good artwork come from these days? Try asking that question of a budding youthful artist from El Cajon named Jayden Crenshaw. Recently turned 11, Crenshaw might say that inspired art comes from those experiences you enjoy most from living.

Crenshaw loves gaming. And he loves the imagery and graphics he sees as he plays.

He created the prizewinning sunglasses design that manufacturer Knockarounds chose for philanthropic partner fundraising efforts at the 2016 Mission Federal Credit Union ArtWalk. He based his design, called “After the Storm,” on two of his favorite video games. The front frame rims surrounding blue lenses are spotted with raindrops, and the temples at the sides depict rainbows. Jayden reported that he was thinking about raining, storms and following clear skies when he came up with his winning design, “I wanted to have a double rainbow.”

Sandi Cottrell, managing director of ArtWalk San Diego, remarked on the significance of Jayden’s creativity during the Mission Federal ArtWalk in Little Italy.

“One very important aspect of our event is philanthropic. Once a year, we partner with corporate entities on behalf of ArtReach, for donations supporting art education in local schools.”

Cottrell’s sister, Judy Berman Silbert, is executive director of the nonprofit ArtReach.

“We support visual arts programs for elementary schools, especially low-income-area schools,” she said.

Crenshaw said that he is already very interested in pursuing college studies in art and design.

More information about ArtReach programs and workshops is available online at artreachsandiego.org.