Meet Martina Straniero | Artist & illustrator

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

Hi Martina, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
It all came pretty organically, I started drawing in the little free time I had while being a stay at home mom to my first daughter. After I got the courage to share my drawings on social media, people started to like them and I got my first commissions. I kept drawing even after going back to work a part time job that I had to leave when covid hit. Around that time I started sharing more and more illustrations since I had more free time and then I got my first requests for illustrating children’s books. After that I also started making products with my illustrations and now I’m selling them online and at local craft faits. As you can see I didn’t come up one day with the idea of starting my business but it was more a series of events and my love of illustration that kept building and growing over the years.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art makes me happy, I love to imagine cute animals enjoying the little things in life, like reading a book, taking a nap… I really enjoy adding little details. I like to take inspiration from vintage objects and interiors. I didn’t study art professionally so I arrived to where I am today by making a lot of art, some days very bad, but learning something new every time, like a new color combo that I like, a new technique, how to use different brushes and every time I make a new piece it feels more me. Participating in local fairs lately gave me the opportunity to share my art with a lot of people, and every time my art makes them smile my heart does a happy dance

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m an art lover, my favorite places in town are definitely the Menil collection, the MFAH (and the café Leonelli, I’m italian born and raised so I really miss italian pastries!). For a good pizza I’d go to Piola, then some shopping at Space Montrose (where you can also find some of my art). I also love parks, so I’d go to Hermann Park for a boat ride on the lake and the japanese garden, or for some more adventure to the Houston arboretum. I’d also take them to Post Htx or railway heights to grab a bite on the rooftops terraces.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Definitely my husband Alberto and my mom that always encourage me to move forward and keep going even when I have had a bad day.

Website: https://linktr.ee/martinacartina

Instagram: martinacartina