Northwest Florida Arts Association
Member Spotlight
2012 NWFLAA Artist Showcase Calendar
Sep 11th
We are now accepting entries for the 2012 NWFLAA Artist Showcase Calendar. We are asking for members to submit artwork that will represent just how amazingly talented the artists in our association really are =) This is also a great opportunity to expose your artwork to the community. If chosen, your work will be admired and showcased in our calendar for the coming year. All of our members will receive a calendar and they will also be for sale to the public.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
-Whether your artwork is a sculpture, painting, mixed media, etc., all entries must be submitted in digital form* (may be scanned or photographed).
-Artist must submit either an artist statement or a statement about the art piece.
-All pieces will be juried in.
-Members can submit as many entries as they wish, but can only be selected one time.
-Submit artwork to nwflaa@gmail.com.
-Deadline for entering will be Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011.
-And it’s FREE to participate so enter today!
*Selected pieces may have to be rescanned/photographed for quality sake.
Member Spotlight – Lauren Castro
Nov 26th
Thank you to Lauren Castro for being our first member spotlight.
NWFLAA - Lauren, tell us a little about yourself.
Lauren – I am 19 years old and currently a fine arts student at the University of Florida in Gainesville. I was born in Gardendale, Alabama, but have spent the past 12 years living in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where my family still resides today. I started really getting into art when I was in middle school, taking my first art classes. The teacher, Mrs. Moran, was really inspiring to me, and she really pushed me to try a variety of mediums and to really think outside the box. With her influence, I continued to take art throughout high school, and eventually found myself studying art in college as well. I am now a full-time art student and pursuing a career in graphic design.
NWFLAA – Who is your favorite artist?
Lauren - That’s a really tough one, for me. Perhaps because I am really indecisive, I seem to find myself having a different “favorite” artist every week. So I have finally just decided that I don’t have one in particular, and that I just tend to have current artist obsessions. For example, I am currently in love with the work of Daniel Zeller. His work is a big influence on one of my upcoming projects. However, in a few weeks, I will probably be introduced to a new artist, and then I will consume myself with passion for their art. So, my favorite artist, in a nutshell, is just whoever is inspiring me at the moment.
NWFLAA – What is your favorite medium?
Lauren – My favorite medium to work in is probably acrylic paint. I can’t even really explain why, because sometimes I get so tired of working with it. But I always seem to go back to it.
I decided to study art because it was what I really wanted to do. I started out at UF as a psychology major with pre-dental tracking. I was going to be an orthodontist. I was going to make big money, and make people proud. I was scared to do art because, well, let’s face it- the expression “starving artist” didn’t come out of nowhere. But then I realized that it doesn’t matter if I make people proud, and it doesn’t matter if I make a ton of money, because in the end, the only thing that matters is if I am happy with what I am doing with my life. Ever since I became an art student, I have been the happiest I have ever been. And the more I learn about art, the more I realize that there are opportunities out there in the world. If you are a hard enough worker, there is no reason to be “starving” at all.
NWFLAA – Thanks again to Lauren, below are a few of her pieces.
