Lauren “Artista” Luna

Everyone has a dream.

Everyone has a story to tell.

How we live our lives to reach that dream is an achievement in itself.

Sometimes you only have one chance to get it right. With everything on the line you realize its now or never. Your dream has blossomed into reality and all the blood sweat and tears you poured into your passion has come alive. You did it! Now the hard work continues.

Lauren Luna is a professional artist, born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. As a nationally known artist, Lauren has decided to expand her wings. Her latest venture, Lauren Luna Ltd., is a custom designed shoe business that has resulted in many people from all walks of life to embrace her gift of art and fashion. As CEO and Head Artist of her namesake custom apparel company she balances a delicate blend of art, education, business, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

Lauren received her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with a focus on painting from Kent State University. She was awarded her Masters degree in Special Education from Manhattan College and is currently working on her Masters of Fine Arts in non-figurative studies at the Academy of Art University.

Lauren‘s work has gained national recognition by being shown in major cities such as Chicago and New York. She is currently represented by Terra Gallery in Columbus, Ohio. Lauren’s paintings are a unique blend of urban realism, abstract expression, and social commentary that can easily define her as the next great artist of our generation.

An affiliated member of the Ohio Art league, Lauren has taught art courses at Columbus State Community College and is currently teaching Emotionally Disturbed children as a Special Education teacher. Even after all of this, she still finds time to maintain an active presence in the community by speaking to youth groups, sitting on the Capital City Board for the Boy Scouts of America, participating in benefit art shows, and of course being a mom.

Addikted2Fashion has recently sat down with Lauren Luna to get the skinny on her fabulous career:

A2F: When and how did you first become interested in Art?

LL: I’ve always been interested! I tell people of my earliest memories are when my mother would garden and dig clay out of the ground and I would make sculptures and ashtrays for my grandfather out of them. I was always painting and coloring. Crafting dolls from glass juice containers. As far back as I can remember art has been the only thing I’ve wanted to do. I’ve had to do other things because it is very difficult to be self substantiating as an artist. But someone who is as passionate about art as myself, we can’t take it out of our lives for long. There was a time when I wasn’t doing art. I was still surrounded by it, just not producing it. I had to become myself again in order to find my focus and know my reason for being on this Earth. I was meant to create and show the world of my talents, skills, and education. Customizing, embellishing and creating shoes, is only a mean to an end. As a result of my extensive background in art I am able to create using a large variety of different ways. Doing art on shoes, can be painting, or it can be sculpture. Either way I’m still drawing upon what I went to college for and what I’ve always been meant to do. Just in an unconventional way. And what type of artist is truly conventional?

A2F: Describe the general process you go through to design?

LL: If it’s a custom order, I would work with the person to discover what it is that they like, what they have in their closet, what defines them. Then I’ll start sketching ideas out until I’ve got something. My client and I will go back and forth until I’ve drawn what they’ve got in their heads.

Sometimes I have creative freedom from my clients to design something new and innovative. This is a challenging task to come up with something that will be aesthetically pleasing but also pleasing to their tastes. I have extreme ideas, so what I would like on a shoe may not be what a client will like. I had a woman contact me about getting pigs painted on her shoes!

Promotional shoes, are usually shoes that I just want to do. Something I think is cool, so usually it’s pretty out there, or fashion forward. I use a variety of materials. Generally I will paint using acrylics or leather paint. But if I’m embellishing them I may use, studs, spikes, nails, cloth, rhinestones, chain, lace… it all depends.

A2F: What are some of your accomplishments as an Artist?

LL: Last year I was published in Who’s who In Black Columbus. I’ve shown my paintings all over the nation. I was published in Art Buzz a book about up and coming artists, and received honorable mention. I had several articles written about me in mainstream local media. My shoes are on the feet of several famous people. I also was awarded an award of Merit from Guests Gallery for an International Art Show.

A2F: Who are some of your favorite designers/Artist?

LL: My favorite designer is Alexander McQueen because he had such fashion forward thinking. Nothing was to extreme to him. He wasn’t afraid to do something unexpected and not delineated within societal standards.

A2F: What celebrities have you worked with or would like to work with in the future?

LL: Donell Jones, Mix Master Ice, DJ Tony Touch, Ed Lover, Lil Cease, Raekwon, LL. Cool J, International Music Group Aventura’s manager Johnny Marines, and Noreaga of Capone and Noreaga. I would LOVE to design some over the top shoes for Lady Gaga. I think her style and mine would be a perfect match.

A2F: What is the most treasured thing in your life?

LL: My son is the most treasured thing in my life. I come from a very small family, I am an only child, so was my father, and my mother passed when I was young. My estranged father is my only family member left. So my son and I cling to each other to have that sense of family.

A2F: Will you be having any viewings of your designs in the near future?

LL: In July I will be having a solo canvas painting show at the Kiaca Gallery in the Arts District of Columbus, Ohio entitled the State of our Un-Union. In October I will be teaming up with student designers from Columbus College of Art and Design for my debut fashion show entitled The Se7en Deadly Sins. The designers and I will alternate during each sin to show their clothing designs and my shoe designs in a show that will surely be talked about for a while! Finally at the end of the year my business partner Fly Definition LLC, and I will be publishing a calendar for the sneakerhead population entitled Custom Ladies, which will feature beautiful women in my custom made sneakers.

A2F: How can someone get in contact with you?

LL: My website is: http://www.artistaluna.com

Email: info@artistaluna.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/laurenluna

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lauren-Luna/100313102973

Here are some of her fabulous designs:

“Haitian Princess”