Image courtesy of Andrew Pantaleon of Mystic Reality Studios
Starting on October 4th, College of Architecture + the Arts student Adria Llerena will be the Artist in Residence at the Coral Gables MadRac Italian Outlet. Llerena is a BFA student concentrating on painting and figure drawing, and is also minoring in Art History. She will be graduating at the end of this Fall 2013 semester. This anticipating graduate discovered the Artist in Residence program at MadRac Italian Outlet through a mutual acquaintance. Because the Outlet is close to the Coral Gables Art Walk section, the owners of the store wanted to give artists the opportunity to exhibit work at their space. Llerena was chosen to be October’s Artist in Residence. She will show paintings that she created between 2011 and 2013, with some of he pieces being figure, landscape, and cityscape paintings. For her show at MadRac Italian Outlet, Llerena “tried to incorporate a group of pieces that gives an overview of the manner in which [she] use[s] color and paint to create form.” She said, “The portraits exemplify this [mannerism], while the landscapes and still-life give a feel for my color and paint handling.”
Llerena is the president of the FIU Fine Arts Student Association, and is a student in the Honors College. In 2010, she participated in the first Law Art Competition; her piece on the September 11th attacks won third place and was put on display at FIU’s College of Law. In 2012, Llerena submitted research for the Advanced Research and Creativity in Honors (ARCH) Program, and presented her findings at the FIU ARCH Conference and at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference at DeLand’s Stetson University. Additionally, Llerena curated the Aesthetics & Values 2012 Exhibition with Professor John Bailly.
Llerena’s advice to Art + Art History classmates is summed up in one word: “Network. Get out there….[g]et to know people….[g]et business cards and give them to everyone you meet! Enter contests, art shows, residencies, group shows, call for entries….Give yourself a chance to put your work out there! Work with your faculty mentors and talk to them. They have great advice and years upon years of experience in the Fine Arts….” Llerena also emphasizes originality and determination. “Try to think outside the box…,” she said. “Don’t get discouraged by negative feedback. If you really want an art degree, fight for it….Work hard and you will see the results.”
The opening reception for Adria Llerena’s exhibition at MadRac Italian Outlets will be Friday, October 4 at 6PM. 1516 Ponce De Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables, FL.
For more information about Adria Llerena and her work, click here for her website.
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