Antuan Rodriguez
Alchemist artist Antuan Rodriguez’s creative search and practice has to do with the art of the document. His next exhibition titled The Water Dimension took 10 years of research and 3 years of production. “I work on thematic projects where all the works in different techniques and materials are connected to communicate and dialogue with the public about the topic of water from all its dimensions,” he says. “Not only did I create an aesthetic, along with each work, there’s a story and a document as a communication code for the future of human beings, the planet and all species. I think that a true artist is a healer, and art that is made from the heart has the ability to educate and illuminate, creating energies capable of harmonizing the frequencies in a field of vibrations from 432 Hz, love and unity.”; AntuanArt.com.
Jenny Perez
A strongly driven Caribbean-American artist, Jenny Perez’s beginnings as a painter centered around her daily observations of Miami’s golden age of street art; leading her to create art which reflects the energy of the genre and her admiration for formal abstraction. “My inspiration often comes directly from an emotional and spiritual place,” she says. “I’m inspired by masters and other contemporaries and enjoy storytelling through abstraction as well as implying a cultural significance through my color palette and subject matter.” Her process relies on having a daily studio practice. “I discover a lot of myself through writing and experimenting with different mediums such as paper, charcoal, thread and gold leaf,” she says. “I can’t imagine a life where I am not creating!”; JennyPerez.com.
Gissi Jiménez
From a young age, Fashion & Lifestyle Illustrator Gissi Jiménez has had a high interest in art. Born in the Dominican Republic, she was tutored by renowned Caribbean artists including Marianela Jiménez & Carolina Cepeda; and trained in visual arts at Bellas Artes National Institute and Altos de Chavon Design School. “My inspiration comes mostly from fashion — it’s very interesting to see how people dress and style clothes,” she says. “I also get inspired by the runways and how different fabrics look when in movement. If you see me live-sketching, you can gather the general idea on how an illustration gets started.” She sees a subject for a few seconds, identifies key items and starts to draw. “The end result is a quick sketch that the subject can identify with just by looking at it,” she says; TheArchitectOfStyle.com.
Santiago Montoya
Santiago Montoya chose to work with currency because, in a way, bills function as small paintings that dispense a message, whether that message is good or bad. “These bills that are so central to the everyday life of so many people are pieces of political propaganda,” he says. “My attraction to currency also comes from a desire to paint and my search for an alternative way of painting.” Using currency allows him to address many different subjects that different people can relate to. It also relates to his interest in universality because it’s a type of information that all human beings, regardless of what they do or what they think about, have in common. It’s a meeting point for all of us. “It is the simplest symbol and we are surrounded by it all the time,” he says. “It holds great power and meaning, but it also signifies nothing.”; SantiagoMontoya.com.
Lisette Cedeño
Lisette Cedeño has been mastering her craft through painting, mix media, fibers, ceramics and collaborative murals for over 20 years in South Florida. “My ceramic art explores the connection between the human form and natural elements,” she says. “Clay is the catalyst that morphs concepts to tangible forms of expression and function. Expanding upon multiple hand-building techniques allows for nature’s textures and forms to unravel into pieces of functional art.” She finds the endless possible mistakes that can happen in the world of ceramics is the most challenging part of working with this material. There are many variables that can affect each piece from start to finish. From the type of clay to the application of the glaze on each piece; leaving her with uncertainty until the end. “My artistic process is an organically repetitive state of creation,” she says. “Each piece starts out the same, but the end results are uniquely different.”; LisetteCedenoDesigns.com.
