Hand Painted Gourds, Furniture and Decorative Folk Art
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Andrea is a native of New York City. For many years she worked in Europe, where she developed a love of the folk art which surrounded her and ultimately influenced her style. After living in the Caribbean for over a decade, Andrea recently returned to the United States and now divides her time between commissions, exhibiting, teaching and writing. “I became an artist late in life. A business major with a career in manufacturing, I taught myself to paint in my spare time. In 1997, my husband and I embarked on a mid-life adventure, quitting our jobs, purchasing a 33-foot boat and sailing off to the Caribbean, ultimately settling in Puerto Rico. Given a local calabash gourd by a friend, I was challenged to experiment with this hard-shelled fruit. Not having any preconceptions of its traditional purposes, I had no limitations. Beginning with simply carved pieces, I found enjoyment in color blending and intricate detail work. My hobby became my livelihood and I have never looked back. “We recently returned to the United States to pursue several projects important to us which would be impossible to achieve on board Ruff Life. There are new opportunities to explore, and I'm enjoying painting without rocking. Life does have its tradeoffs.”
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 La Parguera, PR |