Monique Kimberly Hernandez

Hello,

My name is Monique Hernandez, and I am a Los Angeles native and formally trained artist. I have loved drawing and painting since I was four years old and have been fortunate to turn that passion into a career.

I taught art school for ten years to ages four and up while I worked on obtaining my associate's degree in the Arts from the College of the Canyons in 2009. However, I began to take art more seriously when I enrolled in Laguna College of Art and Design in 2009.

In 2015, I worked as an associate and sometimes manager for Yolanda Garcia of Casita Del Pueblo, Whittier, California. While there, I assisted in creating art events and organizing Los Muertos Uptown, the biggest Dia de Muertos event in the area. This experience opened the doors for me to lend my art to several mural projects and allowed me to deepen my connection to my Chicano roots.

My husband and I currently reside in Seattle, Washington, where I continue to explore my artistic practice through acrylics, while also working in digital art, gouache, watercolor, and linocut. My work is deeply influenced by my ancestors, my love of nature, and the landscapes and experiences that have shaped me, from Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix to the Pacific Northwest.

I have featured art work at Nepantla Cultural Arts Center, and my pieces are also part of Shunpike’s Storefront Public Art Project through August. Being part of Seattle’s creative Lantinx community has been incredibly inspiring, and I look forward to continued opportunities to grow, exhibit, and contribute to the vibrant arts culture here in the Emerald City.

To paint is both passion and purpose for me. It is how I feed my heart and bring my dreams into the world, and I plan to continue creating for as long as I possibly can