Meet Krystal Rodriguez | Artist & Tutor/Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Krystal Rodriguez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Krystal, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
The need to create has always been innate in me for as long as I can remember. Art was always a way for me to cope and escape reality, when life was unclear or confusing. I create art as a way to survive and a way to connect with others, and in turn share that knowledge with my students. Having a career that separates my creativity from the way I make a living has always seemed like an inauthentic existence. I think to deliberately choose to live a creative, unconventional lifestyle that the general collective disproves of, is a brave way to inspire others to live in their truth.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I make figurative paintings of objects and fragments from my environment. I’m inspired by objects and the stories they tell; where they came from, who they originally belonged to, and how they got to their current place. I enjoy glorifying the banal. I’m also very inspired by nature, where I find peace and refuge from the chaos of everyday life. I merge both interior and exterior worlds together in my compositions. However, something that sets my work apart is that I enjoy symbolism & developed a symbol for myself; the safety pin. I manipulated the image of the safety pin to represent different emotions and to demonstrate personal narratives in my work. Last year I had the opportunity to live outside my native Miami environment and temporarily lived in Green Bay, Wisconsin. As incredible as it was to experience all of the seasons and get out of my comfort zone, I longed for the Miami landscape that provided me so much comfort. As a result, I created a series of figurative paintings that depicted pieces of Florida in a unique and experimental way and had a solo exhibition at the University of Wisconsin- Marinette campus. My latest accomplishment was illustrating a zine called “10 Ways to Make Miami a Real Paradise,” written by my close friend Karina Castrillo, a writer and activist. I’m currently working on a new series of figurative abstracted landscapes that merge imaginative landforms with more tangible pieces of nature. I owe a lot to the FIU art community (where I earned my BFA) and the network I acquired for helping me reach where I am today in my art career. I made lasting connections with my colleagues and professors that led to many great opportunities for growth through exhibitions, workshops, commissions, and more. One of those colleagues became my life partner, Jefreid Lotti, who continuously inspires and challenges my artistic process. Lastly, this year I created a local, virtual artist community through Instagram called @hot_stuf11 as a way to provide support and connect artists during the pandemic. We meet virtually through Zoom monthly to discuss relevant topics and share the art we create, and are currently working towards having a group show. I feature different local artists on the Instagram page and share their work and information on how to follow and support them. I want the world to know that making a living doing what you love is not the easiest route to take, but it is possible.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I think that I owe a great deal of my success to all of the mentors and teachers I have had throughout my lifetime that believed in my potential when I didn’t see it in myself. I’m grateful to the strangers that cultivated a relationship with me & challenged me to get out of my comfort zone; pushing me to stretch the limits of my capabilities. Just to name a few, Yolande Jackson, William Truesdale, Angelica Julio, Dustin London, and Gretchen Scharnagl, were all, and continue to be, incredibly impactful and inspiring figures on my journey. However, when I use the word “teacher,” I’m not just referring to the traditional sense of the word. My students have served as teachers, my friends have served as teachers, my life partner and fellow artist, Jefreid Lotti, has served as a great teacher, and my parents and Godparents have been my greatest teachers and supporters. My success will never just be my own, because it is and will continue to be a collective effort.

Website: www.krystaltrodriguez.com

Instagram: @krystal.t.rodriguez @hot_stuf11

Image Credits
Citrus Sunrise 10 Ways to Make Miami a Real Paradise Peace, Piece by Piece I Peace, Peace by Piece II Peace, Piece by Peace III