Meet Alexandra Hernandez | Artist & Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexandra Hernandez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexandra, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Before pursuing an artistic career, I used to want to be a chef. Despite absolutely loving art and taking it in school every single year, I viewed it only as a hobby. Becoming a chef was my ultimate goal. In my junior and senior years of high school, I enrolled in culinary classes for my electives, and even participated in multiple cooking competitions on regional and state levels. It was fun, and I enjoyed it, but I felt myself starting to get tired of it by my senior year. At the same time, my AP art teacher was encouraging us to take art more seriously, and brought in someone from SCAD (The Savannah College of Art and Design). Suddenly, it was all I could think about. If I was getting tired of culinary classes after 2 years, but had loved art consistently throughout my 18 years of life, surely being a chef wasn’t the right path for me. I changed my major to Graphic Design a month before starting classes at the University of Houston, and I do not regret it one bit. I work in Graphic Design during the day, but when the workday is over, I switch to art. It’s my favorite thing to do and I look forward to it daily.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is mostly watercolor and relief prints about my Hispanic culture, the environment, and my travels. Creating pieces based on subjects I care about, rather than what I think people may want to see, is what makes me the happiest and what always yields the best results. I love using my art as a way to raise awareness both domestic and global issues. I’ve raised money for the Australian wild fires, LGBTQ+ organizations, and organizations that help combat climate change. I’m very proud of my Mexican and Puerto Rican background, and I enjoy creating pieces inspired by it. My most memorable conversations when selling art were about the pieces inspired by Mexico. Especially in this day and age, it’s exciting to see people express genuine interest in learning about the story behind my art, ask questions, and exchange stories with me. However, it’s been challenging at times. Running my own art business isn’t just about making art. It’s also about showing up to different events, managing various social media platforms, creating content and videos, and promoting myself. Since I work a graphic design job from 9 to 5, it can get overwhelming and stressful fairly quickly. But although it can be difficult, it’ 100% worth it. I really hope to make a difference with my art someday. Whether that be through donating profits to a group in need, informing people about different cultures, or simply just making someone happy with a fun watercolor piece.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of the things Houston is known for is NASA, so of course I’d take her to the Space Center one day. Another day or two would have to be spent exploring the gardens and area around the Museum District. The Natural Science museum is my personal favorite, but we would obviously have to visit the Fine Arts Museum as well. And if the Astros are in town, I’d have to take her to a game on one of those evenings. I recently went to POST, and that was super cool. It has such a great view of Downtown and so many delicious food options, so that would have to be another stop. Speaking of food, my favorite restaurant is an Argentinian place called The Original Marini’s Empanada House, so I wouldn’t miss taking her there. I’m not much of a drinker and neither are my best friends, so we’d most likely skip the bars. Instead, we might have an evening picnic at Eleanor Tinsley Park. It’s something I did with my roommates in college. The sunset is so pretty there, and it’s fun to see people playing with their dogs, or playing volleyball and other games. And depending on which season she’s visiting, I would either take her to the Rodeo, or to River Oaks to see the Christmas lights.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My dad, Ernesto Hernandez, is without a doubt the person who deserves a shoutout. He’s the one who found me my first ever festival to sell my art at, and he’s been at every single one since then. At every single market, helps me set up and later pack up all my things, and he does his best to get me more customers. He always asks me what I’m working on, what the techniques are called, and shows off my artwork to anyone that will listen to him. He’s my biggest supporter, and it would have taken me way longer to start my art business if it wasn’t for his encouragement. He’s the best person ever.

Website: www.etsy.com/shop/alenistudios

Instagram: @alenistudios (www.instagram.com/alenistudios)

Other: Tiktok: @alenistudios