Today we’d like to introduce you to Holly Cerna.
Hi Holly, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Drawing and painting were always encouraged by my family, and it was a source of bonding with my friend’s pre-middle school. My friends and I mainly drew in anime and cartoon styles back then, but looking back, this was a great foundation for learning how to draw facial expressions and basic anatomy. From there, we would each try to develop our style at school and home. I took my sketchbook with me almost everywhere I went. While in middle school, we started competing against other schools (PSIA). Most of my friends were selected for the academic competitions while I was to compete in the On-Site Drawing category. For this challenge, everyone sits around a covered display. When everyone is ready, the display is revealed, and a timer is set. We had 45 minutes to capture in charcoal the on-site display (typically a bowl of fruit or a glass vase). When you are on a timer, there is no time to think about limitations and no room for self-doubt.
In hindsight, these competitions were a way for me to combat my frustration when people underestimated me. As young girls, we are often, if not always, underestimated. My urge to draw and paint became more than just an act of joy and self-expression. After that, I practiced constantly and realized I was passionate about challenging myself and always improving. My passion for always improving and my support system has led me to pursue an artistic career.
My parents have always encouraged my creativity, as I have many other creatives in my family, with and without creative careers. My middle school teachers were also very supportive by entering me in those drawing competitions. I attended high school at the McCallum Fine Arts Academy, where I began my academic and artistic training. After that, I spent four inspiring but challenging years earning a BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art. The encouragement and support from my teachers and family throughout my life have helped me pursue a career as an artist. I now work in a studio space as a member of Contra/common, a nonprofit organization for emerging artists in Texas.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road is never smooth if we look at it too closely. I have experienced loss and disappointment like everyone else. I struggle with my mental health and place in the world, as most people do. The COVID pandemic started, which ended my time in school before my final semester. I had been working creatively all through college, and my success in school was always going up. I was very excited to present my thesis and had so much fire at the time to produce as much work as possible. There was so much build-up and no grand finale. It felt like I was free-falling for a long time, and sometimes it still feels that way. I then realized if I had to prove myself every step of the way, I would have to keep doing that to obtain studio space and further advance. It took a lot of research and multiple applications before I found what I was looking for.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
I love learning through experimentation, trial, and error, and relying on my instincts. When I create, I can trust myself and let go. As a child, I would hold a flashlight up to my hands and see my veins and the suggestion of bones through my translucent skin. It is this transparency that I am trying to achieve through painting, but I am interested in all art forms and have been expanding on this concept with sculpture, video, and digital art as well. My overall goal is to capture my subjects in a recognizable, naturalistic way while using alternative lighting and color to convey their normally invisible mental and emotional states. I am very interested in the emotional reaction that art can bring out in people. The psychology of color and color theory heavily influence my palette in all my works. Recently I find myself using green, red, and purple to visually represent the inner thoughts and emotions the subject is experiencing.
Before we go, can you talk to us about how people can work, collaborate, or support you?
My studio is currently at Contra/common, and I am always eager to have a studio visit. I am also getting more experience as a muralist and would love to help beautify your business!
Contact Info:
Email: hollycerna@gmail.com
Website: www.hollycerna.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollycerna_/
Pricing:
- Available works and commission inquiries are on my website.
- Images of artworks available below range from $250-$2,500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hollycerna.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollycerna_/
Image Credits
Holly Cerna
