Faith Arts Village Orlando (FAVO)

I went to Faith Arts Village Orlando (221 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, Florida 32801).  FAVO happens on the first Friday of each month. I like to sketch the event because the dusk light is a challenge to capture. There is usually an outdoor musical act that performs in the parking lot where tables are set up for patrons who order food from several food trucks.

Gallery 251 presented artist, Nadya Nickels, a young multimedia artist based in the Orlando, FL area. Before school, Nadya was an
illustrator for Afropunk.com since then she’s started painting murals in
Orlando and began working with digital media and design. Recently she graduated with
a bachelor of digital arts and design.

Her work mostly
centers around people and mainly painted portraits. Her preferred
medium is watercolor as it requires the painter to have control over the
paint, but also a willingness to adapt and go with the flow of
watercolor.

“I’ve been developing my craft and working in my field for the past five
years as a freelancer. Initially, I started my career in high school by
building my brand “eclectic weirdo.” I created a series of
illustrations; To highlight diversity, show that we are all
multidimensional and shouldn’t limit ourselves to stereotypes. This
concept was picked up by Afropunk. I then began creating weekly
illustrations for their online magazine. I am now a studio artist for
Full Sail’s game design department. My strongest quality is my
empathetic nature, and this translates into my work. I strongly admire
activists and people who inspire others. There’s a ton of work that needs to
be done in this world, and I feel the best way I can contribute is
through design.”

-Nadya Nickels