1) Every artist has a unique story what is your background as an artist?
My story as an artist begins as a toddler. I have pictures of me drawing in school and seemingly super focused. The next vivid memories I have involving art are of my bedroom as a 13 year old girl. I spent a lot of time in my room creating and for some reason I didn't like the concept of having blank space on my walls so I worked hard every day to cover every small space. Each section of my walls had something different on it whether it have been a smaller space separated by a dresser or door or even my ceilings. For my ceiling, I decided to put together pieces of construction paper to create a Dominican flag. Next, I remember making cartoons for my friends with their names on them in middle school. I still wonder if any of them have them to this day because I'd love to see what my creativity was like back then. At this point, I wasn't really familiar with the fact that other artists existed and I barely even grasped the fact that I myself was an artist. I just loved to create. Next, in high school, I got involved with an art class and eventually ended up spending my lunch period in the studio to be able to have extra time to create. It was amazing to have so many materials and so much creativity around me and I began to flourish. My skills expanded and I had a lot of work to be able to showcase if I had wanted to. I spent less time with my friends during my senior year and spent a lot more time with my art. I felt way more connected with my creations than with people who I didn't feel shared the same passions as me or even worse, didn't have any passions at all. I did three big, memorable projects during high school. The first was a big poster that said "FRESHMEN 2013" in graffiti with our school colors that ended up all over Facebook because I guess my class found it cool. The second was helping paint murals on the walls inside the cafeteria. I remember that it took several days and I was so excited to participate each and every day. I don't remember what we had painted. The next was a sign that was bigger than the size of a door that was for a huge Spanish heritage event. I was excited that I had been asked to create it and had spent endless hours zoning in and perfecting it. After high school, I felt a bit lost and was grateful to have found my love for art again in 2015 as a 19 year old. I discovered my true love for art and painted for the first time on my own on canvas. I was told by the only person who had really seen all my art that it was too good to not show anyone and that pushed me to release everything and show off who I am. I created a business named Andreana's Art and sold many paintings for holidays such as Mother's Day and Christmas. It felt so good to have clients and to be able to do what I loved. This is when I started recognizing myself as an artist and understanding what I had to offer to others. As I developed my business, I started to gain friends who were artists and doing the same things I do. I loved hearing about all of their projects and collaborating with them. It was more meaningful than majority of the activities I had done with others in my lifetime. I was making art that wasn’t only unique to me but unique to the people I cared about too! It was great. The next level of my career as an artist began when I started traveling and painting. I’ve spent a lot of time in New York City (Union Square) displaying my art in front of those passing by but what was even more exciting was producing art in front of an audience on Lincoln Road in Miami and on Ocean Drive. I was able to meet new clients and people that were so happy to experience my art. I especially loved working with the children and sitting alongside them while they drew and painted with me or their loved ones. During this time I was also using my talents to help me have somewhere to stay since money was tight. I provided my services as an artist to a hotel and Air BNB by creating murals for them in exchange for a room. It was an exhilarating experience and it's cool to know that I can tell people to go or go back myself and check out my art whenever I want. Throughout the past few years, as I started spending more time in NY for school (I’ve never studied art in college), I was doing a lot of events where I’d display my art or paint live. I’ve also had my art held by models on the runway during fashion shows. I create clothing with painted designs, sell them, and use them for shows and photoshoots. Most recently, I participated in a face painting event in Deer Park, NY which was a huge success! I also made a mural with MLK murals in NYC for PAL! That was awesome. My latest success is having a local brewery wanting to include my artwork in their building for all the customers to see and potentially purchase! I’m looking forward to expanding and new, awesome experiences. I will always be an artist, everyone knows me as an artist and everything I do revolves around art. That will never stop.
2) What was your experience working with MLK mural, what locations?
Recently, I worked for MLK Murals on a piece for the Police Athletic League. We worked in Harlem, NY at an elementary school. It was an extremely unique experience. Kyle Holbrook was exceptionally professional and provided me with great instructions and supplies before beginning. The children worked alongside us and each had a story to tell. They were able to contribute creatively and it was inspiring to watch their focus at such a young age. They seemed to work well with me and appreciate my artistic skills. I loved instructing them because they were respectful and hard working. My favorite part about my participation was seeing the mural completed. I only contributed to the final details but they made a big difference. Recognizing that something started off as a blank canvas and seeing the final result is intriguing. The progress in such a short amount of time was insane and we were all proud of our work. My favorite part of all Kyle Holbrook’s murals are the people and the emotion and movement behind them. This mural was special because it was showcasing the children’s athletic abilities and sports so the movement was extremely energized through the art. I believe that MLK Murals has extreme potential as an art franchise and I love the way that things are done with this company.
3) What is your thoughts on the importance of youth art education?
My thoughts on the importance of youth art education are that this is a vital part of their growth! Children need to understand who they are creatively and have outlets to learn and produce art in order to discover themselves! It is undervalued in communities and this is so unfortunate. Children need to be able to have freedom to express themselves and the best way in through art! I’m passionately pursuing educating children artistically and I will never stop! Everywhere I go, whenever there is an opportunity, I shine my light on children and create with them. I walk around with drawing and painting tools majority of the time so I can do exactly that. I constantly see children bored and unengaged and this worries me. They should always be creatively expressing themselves to stay out of trouble. They can’t constantly be dependent on phones from their parents or any other tool for distraction or for the parents to be left alone or “get a break”. The youth years are vital for expansion of the brain and creativity. We need to make sure we’re constantly pushing art and creative expression on children or else they will slowly lose touch with who they are. It’s easy to lose sight of your special and unique talents when society ignores them or tells you to focus your energy on things that you aren’t passionate about. Children NEED to find their passion; early! In school, art classes are not enough and we need to find out what it is that triggers students/children to want to engage because this is where there passion lies and these passions are where they will contribute best to their communities. Where they excel is where they will have the most to offer but we need to help them deliver by providing the best art education possible!
4) Can you share your experience with Public art affecting communities?
I believe that public art has a humongous effect on communities. I’ve seen people look at murals like the best things they’ve ever seen. There are people traveling from places that have NO art that come to places like Miami or New York City and are in amazement and shock at how beautiful our buildings are because of art. The effect that public art has on communities is limitless. People get inspired and achieve goals based on artwork that they see. When the artist is efficient, they provide messages to their audiences that they can’t find anywhere else. We need art EVERYWHERE to be able to effect people in a positive manner. It’s so important that we continuously are provided art to people who need it most. No community is an exception. Every community needs art and the sooner they have it, the better. We need to supply communities with art for their betterment. It shouldn’t always need to be a big discussion either because the effects of the artwork speak for themselves. Public art attracts more tourists, business, togetherness and most importantly, more HAPPINESS! People get so happy when they see murals. When it comes to public theatrical art, this is important also and sometimes undervalued. People have great story telling skills and performances in public have power to change people’s perspectives on certain life matters that affect us all.
5) Where can people view your work and what are some upcoming projects you would like to let people know about?
People can find my work on Facebook, Instagram, my website, online, or at any of the events I participate in. There are also reviews on my work and work ethic which you can discover on any of those platforms. As stated previously, I’m extremely excited to have my work displayed at a new brewery in Brooklyn, NY. The address is 52 Harrison Place, Brooklyn, NY, 11237. Other projects which I look forward to are runway events which are upcoming in Brooklyn, NY and Miami, Florida. I look forward to working with MLK Murals nationally and I also look forward to any other spontaneous and great opportunities that are placed in my path with purpose. Thank you for considering me and checking out some of my work!
https://www.instagram.com/andreanas_art
https://www.instagram.com/redfireclothing
https://www.wixsite.andreanasart.com/alwaysamazing
