CFRN May Artist Spotlight

Serenity, What does your name mean and where are you from?
I try to govern myself #1 as a follower of Jesus Christ, and that combined with the dictionary definition of Serenity, really makes up who I am and who I strive to be. God calls us to be humble and loving, patient and kind, and the definition of Serenity is the state or quality of being seren, calm, or tranquil. Also being in a disposition free from stress or emotion, the absence of mental stress or anxiety. I'm a very laid back individual who just wants to enjoy God and living life. I am from the beautiful Island of Bermuda aka Bermy.

How did you get into drawing and the arts?
Art is something that runs through the bloodline of my family. From my mother and her sister, down through the generations of my family, art has definitely been a huge part of my upbringing. Crazy thing about it though is that growing up I couldn't draw too well, and I remember crying to my mother one day cause I wanted to draw really bad, but didn't really have the skill set for it. She simply told me to pray and ask Jesus Christ to help me to do it, and I remember doing it, and ever since then I know that it was God that blessed me with the talent that I have. Prayer works if you ask sincerely.

Can you take us into your mind, your world and your feelings behind exhibit art piece #1? (*drawing)

This piece is actually a pencil drawing portrait that I did. It's one of my favorite pieces in my collection of work because I was learning how to blend with a tortillion (piece of rolled cardboard), and I was pleased with the outcome of it. I call this piece "Beautiful in the Son(Sun). If you look at the shading on her face, it looks like there is light shining onto her face like the sun, but there is no sun in the picture. What you see shining on her is the Son, which is Christ. We are all "Beautiful in the Son"

Does your location give you new inspiration for creativity vs. being in the states?
Oh most definitely. I love the U.S, but Bermuda is one of the most breath taking places to be. The scenery is beautiful, the water irresistible, and just the peacefulness of living on an island draws new inspiration for my art daily.

I understand you are an arts teacher there in Bermuda.. what's that like?
I love doing what I do!!! I teach at a Fine Arts Pre-school here called Season's Learning Center. I am lead teacher for the 2-3 yr old class, and the head Art Instructor for the entire program. It's a blessing to be in such a place, and my kids here bring me so much joy. I love to see how excited they get when we begin a new project and they finally see the final piece. I am thankful that I can help them to tap into their creative sides. I tell them every time we begin a project that I want them to be better artists than me, and one day they will be.

Can you describe the techniques used when you painted exhibit art piece #2? (*painting)

This piece is actually a mural that I have been working on at my job. My kids love birds and animals, and trees,
so I wanted to create a jungle scene so that they would feel surrounded by trees. The first thing I did was draw everything out onto the walls with a pencil. Once I was satisfied with it, I outlined my pencil drawing with a permanent marker to make the lines bolder and the painting a little easier.Once outlined, that's when the painting process began. Due to the details of the mural, it was very time consuming, and painting became very tedious at times, but I believe in giving and doing my best. It is still unfinished to a degree, but as time progresses, I'll continue to add onto it.

Do you make your artwork services available to those inside the states? and if so..
What all do you provide?
My services are always available anywhere world wide. I do murals in any types of environments, like houses, churches, schools, etc. I do portraits, abstract pieces, customized paintings, as well as customized clothing,
I.E. T-shirts, sneakers, jackets, hats and so on.

Lastly, how can one contact you if they'd like to inquire about your rates and services?
The name of my company is called RedZone Designs, so for now one can email me at redzonedesigns@yahoo.com with their contact information and what they are trying to accomplish, and from there we can begin discussing the details of what is desired. Web site information will be coming soon, so check me out for now at www.myspace.com/serenityexclusives. Information will be posted there concerning RedZone Designs.