Collective Conscious

Soraya Leathers is a graphic designer from Ithaca, New York residing in sunny South Florida. Growing up Soraya has always been surrounded by art. When she was in second grade her family's business, a community built playground company that sources its design from the children, came to her elementary school and asked all the children what they envisioned their playground to be. She insisted on a boat and dolphins, as did her fellow classmates. For the next two weeks they watched and waited as this giant castle was being built right outside their classroom windows, eagerly waiting to see what they had imagined manifested. When Soraya was in high school, the same opportunity was present at the local park. This time she didn’t sit on the sidelines, she helped create what was imagined by the children who were just like her in second grade. If you ask Soraya is making a piece of art she has an answer. Most of the time the answer is that it is for someone. She enjoys creating posters, logos, websites and solving any visual problem that she is presented with. Each design she makes is responding to the needs or desires of the people who will interact with it.

Check Out her work at Sorayaleathers.com
Or Contact her at [email protected]

Owyn Porter was raised on Amelia Island, Florida. Her work as a graphic artist influences her photography, art, and designs through her love of the ocean. She currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida pursuing her degree in Studio Art. She started a product line in Spring 2015 called The Happy Sea where she is passionately pursuing that venture.

Her work can be viewed on www.thehappysea.com

Jenny O: mother, wife, bookaholic, artist. Dancer, swimmer, athlete, soccer mom, also fit. She had her beginnings in Boca Raton, Florida where she went to Florida Atlantic University, in 1997, for photography. Then “LIFE” happened and she dropped out with a little over a semester of school left. Jenny became “WIFE” and then “MOM” to 4 wonderful children. After almost 15 years of being something other than “ARTIST," Jenny decided to go back to school and get her Studio Art degree. Backed by her amazing family she was able to go back to Florida Atlantic University. So 20 years after starting school, Jenny will get her BA in Studio Art in 2017. She currently has her ceramic self portrait displayed in the Wimberly Library student ceramic show. Jenny is enjoying working with ceramics and different materials in the sculpture world. She hopes that in the near future she will be able to teach art to children of all ages and inspire them to follow their dreams, no matter how long it takes.

Check out Jenny's work at artistjennyo.tumblr.com
ig: ArtistJennyO

Nicole Tjen-a-looi enjoys creating worlds she can escape into. Her artistic style is seen as whimsical, innocent and touches on some personal aspects of her childhood and adolescent years, where she used her interest in drawing creatures and developing stories both by herself and with friends, to cope with the negativity around her.
It wasn’t until she received her associates degree at Broward College in 2009 that she became more passionate about drawing, ultimately deciding to attend Florida Atlantic University to hone her skills in various art styles and techniques, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in studio art.

She passes the days at home continuously working on finding her own personal style of character design and various creatures concepts for the worlds she creates.

Contact Nicole at [email protected]

Three weeks left in the semester has us like

Victoria Portela is a 21 year old photographer with an interest in exploring light, texture, and movement in her photos. While she attempts to explore many styles of photography her ultimate focus is on an editorial style. Her photography often is focused on portraiture of women in various costumes, settings, and moods. Victoria draws inspiration from everything around her from the reflection of light on a windowpane to the immense amounts of advertising and media we consume every day. Every encounter is a source of inspiration for creativity for Victoria. Her works can be described as detail oriented, vividly colored, and heavy in portraiture.

Check out more of her work at Kafeiphoto.tumblr.com

Brandon Sanguinetti is a first generation American, born to Jamaican parents and raised in South Florida pursuing a BA in Studio Art from FAU. His artistic influences derive from animation and music. Watching cartoons as a child till now, drawing what he saw on tv like Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, Billy and Mandy etc. He is motivated by the distinct characters made by animators and aspires to create his own cartoon. As he attended University he learned how to paint and draw realistically giving his cartoon background a unique dynamic. He is now creating art that coincides with his favorite genre of music, rap. Drawing is still his favorite category of art, Brandon sketches out his works before digitalizing them on illustrator. After graduating from FAU Brandon wants to pursue a career in freelance graphic design.

Contact Brandon at [email protected]

Maria Hatch (1975, Quito, Ecuador) is an artist that creates mixed media sculptures and ceramics. Crediting her upbringing and early childhood experiences for her inquisitive attributes and artistic discovery. Mrs. Hatch builds sculptures by choosing mainly formal solutions and every day items she collects while walking, to stumbling upon them. Her functional works is more concentrated in how to merge form and function, while still pushing boundaries. Early on in her artistic career, she referenced her South American roots which allowed to discover more about her origins and also play homage to her culture. Now, mostly of her work exudes a subtle minimalistic approach while still building an intense personal connection to her pieces. Maria uses formal techniques and applies er struct rules, but nerve allows the work to take on a very serious note, more like play is a serious matter to her.

In 2000 Maria moved to the United States and proceeded to earn an Associate Art Degree from Palm Beach State College in 2002. During this time is where she discover that she wanted to be an artist and pursue a creative career and decided to pursue the Visual Arts. While working on a small gallery project, Maria got a job working for Sotheby’s Auctions house, is there where she learn all the insides or the art world, the market and was introduced to Contemporary Art. She began attending, while still working, Florida Atlantic University and studied Contemporary and Modern Art classes. Mrs. Hatch got married in 2005 and in 2009 took some time off to raise her eight year old twins.

She dedicated most of this time to her family, volunteered at school and found a artistic outlet exploring and creating floral designs, which is until today one of her passions. She found joy in spending time with children again and decided to seek a Studio Art Degree, Mrs. Hatch is set to graduate Fall of 2017.

Outside of school, Mrs. Hatch loves to work with ceramics, build sculptures, design floral arrangements, discover new recipes and flavors in cooking, exercise while biking and dancing and spend time with her family.

Contact Maria at [email protected]

Contact Aaron at [email protected]

Kendra LeAnn Ryan is a Caymanian/American artist who came to the United States at the age of nine. Leaving the Cayman Islands to come to the United States at that age became a turning point for where her art would go. Forced to leave before she could properly be introduced to her culture and brought to the States after many have learned their history, she felt as if she belonged nowhere and could never go home. As she grew older that heavy feeling of separation led her to find her happiness and security by drawing. Even the simplest of drawings made her lose that sense of upset. During high school Ryan took up photography and found the true medium for finding and sharing happiness. As of today she still enjoys drawing and taking photographs of the things that make her happy so as to share that with others who may have felt like she did.

Contact Kendra at - [email protected]

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