Meet Sandra | Illustrator and Muralist

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

Hi Sandra, what makes you happy? Why?
Bright, colorful colors make me happy! I decorate my living space with a bunch of cute, miniature pieces of art.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art revolves around everything colorful, happy, and magical. I’ve long had an interest in fantasy and fairytales. I think my greatest strength is that I don’t shy away from growing, and refining my craft. My style has changed tremendously in the past 10 years. Had I not welcomed artistic growth, change, and criticism, … I don’t think my art would be where it is today.

After I graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design, I moved to Saint Petersburg, Florida. Once I settled in I began to teach painting classes downtown at Painting With A Twist. I learned how to paint fast and work under pressure. My class sizes would range from five to twenty-five people, and I was tasked to teach a class how to paint a painting step by step and play games along the way – to finish on time within 2 hours. No easy feat but I learned to excel and provide an awesome painting experience for customers.

I’m grateful for that experience because knowing how to paint fast (AND well) was going to be very handy later on. Two years went by, and as I was teaching classes I quietly yearned to get into murals. I was stumped though, I had no clue how to get into painting murals, and no one would hire me to paint a mural without mural experience. Luckily, my friend, Julie Haura, whom I met at Painting With A Twist also ran an art gallery nearby (Five Deuces Galleria). I asked Julie if she knew any local muralists who were looking for an extra hand, so that I may gain some kind of experience. She gave me four or five names and I reached out to all of them. Three months went by and then, one got back to me, and her name is Alyssa Marie. Alyssa loved my artwork and offered to have me on for a mural she was working on at “David Reynolds Jewelry and Coin”. It was my first time painting with a paint roller, working on a wall, and learning the intricacies of Alyssa’s mural process. This is also where knowing how to paint fast and well came in handy… it was blistering hot while we were working and the sun was drying the paint expeditiously! Being able to swiftly paint the wall before your paintbrush dried and hardened from the heat was an interesting battle haha. And that was the beginning of my apprenticeship with Alyssa, I went on to assist her on several other mural projects in Saint Petersburg that year.

The biggest lesson I learned along the way was to not be afraid and to network with others. There isn’t always going to be an exact job listing to apply to, and for many creatives such as myself, your success is primarily you pushing the ball forward yourself. You need to network and talk with others to learn about opportunities you may not have known of – or create opportunities yourself. As someone who wasn’t the best at being an extrovert or public speaking, it is crucial to put yourself out there.

One of the pieces I am most proud of is my “Frog Love” art piece. It was featured in the “PEACE + LOVE + PRIDE” show at Five Deuces Galleria in Saint Petersburg, Florida in 2021. I sold five high-quality canvas prints of my “Frog Love” piece at that show.

I want the world to know that my brand is for the young and young at heart. I feel that beautiful, enriching, fanciful art is for everyone. Just because you may have grown up doesn’t mean you have let go of the cute things that make your heart flutter.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So if I had a best friend visiting, I would take them to the Saturday Morning Market in downtown Saint Petersburg. This market has a wonderful array of vendors, and I will say that most of the vendors have stellar branding designs. We would go order an arepa from the arepa stand, get some coffee, and enjoy the live music being played at the market.

Once our bellies are full of delicious treats, we can go sit by the marina and watch the ocean. Sometimes you can see dolphins or stingrays in the water!

Then from there, we’d probably just wander around the streets of Central Ave. and peek into all the shops nearby. I would take you inside the James Museum of Western Art and show you the main lobby and their bar/coffee area. The James Museum has this breathtaking solid wood saloon-style bar, it’s almost too beautiful to look at.

Then we could go to Intermezzo for a coffee or a cocktail. I absolutely adore intermezzo! the interior is so open and welcoming, think midcentury modern.

I would also take you to The Hangar, a cute restaurant attached to a private airport downtown. You can watch all kinds of planes land while you enjoy your meal!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Alyssa Marie!
She’s an amazing artist that I apprenticed with in 2023. She was kind enough to have me work alongside her on her mural projects. She has a focus on Florida marine life and birds.

I wouldn’t have been able to take on my own mural projects without her guidance and support.

Website: https://sandra-hernandez.com

Instagram: @whatsquirky

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-hernandez-7a6834138/

Other: threads: @whatsquirky

email:
shernand.art@gmail.com