ORIAUNA: ARTIST HIGHLIGHT

ORIAUNA

(they/she/he)

Instagram: @oriaunaart

INFLUENCES

Oriauna is an eclectic artist of various mediums who was born and raised in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Inspired by the beauty of the world around her, Oriauna tends to paint landscapes of places she has traveled to that have a certain “charm”, says the artist.

 “I find a lot of subjects to be pleasing to paint. Sometimes it is sand dunes on the beach, other times it can be the colors in an aisle in the grocery store that ignite the impetus behind whatever project I am going to create.”

This artist is also pretty handy with a needle and thread, fabricating hand-sewn puppets, small enough to fit in your pocket. Taking objects from the natural world such as flowers, dirt, trees, etc., Oriauna then creates a character based on these earthly elements.

“A lot of my puppets won't have a sketch before I sew them. I'll find various fabrics that look like moss and grass, then combine them to make a little moss man monster. The faces and expressions for my characters are usually in my head already, when they are not, that is when I'll move to my sketchbook to draw something I find fitting for the puppet.”

Now based out of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Oriauna continues to create puppets from imagination, paint local Ohio landscapes, crochet garments & accessories, and work with any other materials and mediums she can get her hands on.

You can view and purchase Oriauna’s work through her Instagram @oriaunaart, Etsy @oriaunaart, in store at Made Cleveland, or in person from Oriauna at the numerous markets and events she vends at.