About Me
I live and work in Ontario, California (Southern CA) with my pet friend/roomate Mr. Gold, an adorable (and sometimes spicy) soon to be 10 year-old orange ginger cat. My best friend and photographer husband, Tom Cypert, passed away in January 2022.
The last couple of years have been filled with major life changes - buying a house and moving, my husband getting terminally ill and dying, grieving (no one ever tells you how consuming and debilitating grief can be), adjusting to my new life and routine, and leaving my full-time stable marketing career (where I worked for a decade) to pause, take care of myself (emotionally, mentally, and physically), recharge, and figure out what's next.
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| Our family photo from 2021 during the middle of the pandemic, in our old apartment. |
Artist Bio
I'm a multi-disciplinary creative professional; a graphic designer, marketing and branding expert, and fine artist. I've spent the last 10+ years working on numerous projects - marketing campaigns and collateral, graphic design projects, fine and commercial art, public art, and art exhibitions. I owned my own small business (making t-shirts, graphic design and art) for many years before getting married and stepping back to help my husband launch his photography career; which was quality time well-spent, and the happiest, most fulfilling years of our lives. The last few years I paused on making any of my own art while I put all my energy into growing my marketing career and other personal goals (like buying a house).
Public and Community Art in Ontario, California
In 2014 I created public art for the Ontario Town Square plaza and the Conservation Park benches in front of City Hall. You can learn more about my design process for the Town Square mural here.
In 2015 I had the fantastic opportunity to complete a documentary portrait project titled Faces of the Community, which engaged the local hispanic community of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish on Sultana Street. I interviewed and documented the stories of 20 parishioners and drew their portraits from snapshots I took. The portraits were exhibited at the Chaffey Community Museum of Art (CCMA) and then at the Ontario Museum of History and Art in 2016 in conjunction with the 125th Anniversary of the City. This project was a collaboration between CCMA and the Ontario Museum of History and Art with grant funding from The Community Foundation, and was the first time the two museums and city agencies worked together for an exhibition and public program of this type. The Community Foundation loved the project so much they invited the museum to re-apply for the grant the following year and published this project into a book.
In November 2016, I was honored as an Alumni of the Year by Chaffey College for my arts and community service in Ontario. I grew up and lived in Ontario, CA until 2014, and wanted to buy a house closer to my family, the museums and the public art I made. I moved back to Ontario, CA at the end of 2021.
Education & Training
I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts from California State University Fullerton in 2012 where I studied Illustration and Graphic Design. I received my Liberal Arts and Drawing/Painting Associate degrees at Chaffey College. I spent my undergrad career studying under many esteemed fine arts and entertainment industry professionals including Cliff Cramp, Lawerence Yun, Don Lagerburg, Christian Hill, Misty Burruel, Mila Marsh and many others.
I've supplemented my technical skills (art, design and video editing) and learned how to run a business over the years by listening to podcasts, reading (blogs, books and websites), watching YouTube videos, attending conferences, webinars and artist talks (Adobe Max is my favorite!), and occasionally taking classes/workshops. I love learning, but the thought of going back to grad school, or a formal business program makes me cringe most of the time lol. Most of my marketing knowledge was learned through real world, hands-on experience.
I started writing this blog in 2011 when I was still an art student to document my work in progress and share techniques. Over the years it has evolved into a place where I share my life as an artist and creative professional. My enjoyment of writing has also evolved and increased over the years.
Other Pages/Links:
My personal website is under construction while I figure out what's next, and I'm not too active on social media these days. You can occasionally find me at:
www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-cypert (deactivated temporarily)
facebook.com/andreacypertarts (deactivated temporarily)
My websites - under construction but for now they link back to this blog: https://andreacypert.com | https://andreabenitezart.com/
My late husband Tom's photography website: https://www.tomcypert.com
