Featured Artists
Lorena Castaneda Trinity Rivard Darla Nunnery
Lorena has been an artistic instructor at Prodigy (UACDC) for the past three years. She majored in art and holds a Master’s Degree in artistic Technique from the Art Institute of Cali, Columbia, South America. She also holds certifications in Digital Web/Graphic Design and Publicity Illustration and Communication. For the past nine years, she has taught Graphic Design, Artistic Techniques, Visual Art, and Art History. “Being a Prodigy instructor is personally rewarding. I know that I have helped a child find or recover their confidence. At the same time, I see them internalize skills that they will use in the future, such as planning, organization, teamwork, communication, acceptance, and tolerance. Something that I always find as magic is the way children discover their creative capacity. I can see the happiness that is reflected in their faces when they are satisfied by their own accomplishments.”
The advice Lorena gives to new Prodigy instructors is:
- Learn, learn, and learn, as much as you can every day about teaching techniques.
- Remove the boundaries.
- Be creative and try to capture their imagination with innovative projects. Use different materials and techniques, and explore new artistic expressions.
- Find new ways to see the world.
- Empower, motivate, and support your students to accomplish their project. • If you really want them to get involved…make it fun!
Lorena left Prodigy to return to her native homeland of Columbia, South America, Fall of 2007. We wish her the best!
Trinity has been drawing since the age of 5 years old and spent most of his early childhood developing his artistic skills. After winning a couple of national contests in elementary school and junior high school, his dream of being a professional artist started to take shape. By high school, his art teachers were commissioning works from him, and he regularly sold most of the work he created. At the time he had no idea that this would be the beginning of his artistic journey. He began painting in oils and acrylics in 2003 and has since participated in shows all over Florida. His works span private collections from Florida to the west coast. Inspired by multiple artistic movements, such as pop art, minimalism, and abstract expressionism, Trinity continues to develop his own unique style.
Darla Nunnery is a visual artist specializing in professional henna body art, painting, and multi-media collage. She received her Bachelors Degree in Fine Art from the University of South Florida in 2001 and began her henna business, Starlight Mehndi Studios, that same year.
Darla has worked in children's art programs at the Tampa Museum of Art, AmeriCorps ArtsUSF, Hillsborough County's Artists in the Schools program, and is presently employed as a Cultural Arts Instructor with Saint Leo Prodigy. With over 10 years experience as an artist working with young people, Darla's gift is encouraging students to tell their personal history through their artistic creation. Her ideas for projects to create with her students bring together influences from our living environment and cultural history, while at the same time emphasize community perspectives and personal growth.
Darla's work has been shown at the Tampa Museum of Art, University of Tampa's Scarfone Gallery, and the Globe Coffee Lounge in St. Petersburg, Florida. Additionally, she has been curator at many art events and gallery showings for her students over the years.
