Art & Life with Cassandra Ledezma

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cassandra Ledezma.

Cassandra, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in Phoenix Arizona. I taught myself how to draw by looking at images in kids books and trying to replicate them on my own, that was something I found super fun at the age of 7 and on, Art caught my interest when I saw my mom being able to replicate images without tracing and my first thought was “Wow that’s so cool, I want to do that. My only access to art was through the electives in elementary through high school. When I was in 4th grade, my parents realized it was something I was passionate about, and I could do. Never did they limit me with Art or ask me to focus on something else, My parents were always super supportive. In high school, I explored other mediums, and that’s when I realized I could paint. I had never tried before in my life, but my first painting was a success and put in the high art show, I was super proud of myself at the time. From there on I focused on acrylic painting. College came, and I went to the Academy of Art University. I took online art classes, and man were they hard! But although those were a struggle because there was no one to help me instantly or physically critique my work, I managed to learn new painting techniques and explore new Mediums such as Oil and Ink. It was fun; sadly I couldn’t afford going to school anymore, so I took a year off of art and school to work long hours and make money to go back. That didn’t happen, So I took it upon myself to participate in local Phoenix Art shows to get myself out there more. During these shows, I met a person, another artist, that greatly has influenced my art and personal life. To this day I hang out with this artist (@Newstory_art), and we sit in a room and do art for hours. With their help, I’ve been able to explore myself and my art more. I’ve been able to become the person and the artist that I am today. There is no doubt that I met this artist for a reason and at the time that I did. I am so grateful for the experiences and the people in my life that have assisted in getting to where I am today.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I ,ostly focus on Acrylic Paintings, but I have done a couple of Oil paintings. My pieces all represent an emotion or thought I was feeling at the moment. I like painting things that speak volumes in my eyes, things that I look at and make me think more in-depth about my life and life and general. I will paint roses because I think they are a great comparison to life and people, the growth and the death. I paint the galaxies because I find beauty in something that looks so simple but yet so complex, There’s more to it than meets the eye. Same when it comes to labeling my art, my pieces aren’t assigned a name as a title, but they are assigned a poem that I write myself. These poems are a representation of my views and things that I believe or think are beautiful. I want to use my art to express myself but also share different peaceful perspectives. I want to get people thinking and feeling something.

What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
To other Artist that feel alone, you’re not. I suggest for you guys to definitely participate in local art shows. There is a big art community so friendly and welcoming. I have met so many artists from displaying my work with them at shows like Pancakes and Booze and Chocolate and Art. Everyone just helps each other, and all artist are so supportive of one another. It’s amazing and refreshing to belong to a community that is so understanding.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
All of my most current work on Instagram. @Cass_Ledezma. I share videos and pictures of my progress through my stories. I also announce the upcoming shows I participate in through Social Media. I’m a starting artist and would love to grow and participate in other art shows that are not just local but in other cities. People can support my work just by showing some love on Instagram. I do sell prints and stickers. I will be selling some originals as well. But in general I just like hearing people’s thoughts about my art.

Contact Info:

• Email: cassandraledezma@yahoo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cass_ledezma/

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.