“I always think of cute things, things that make you smile, things that are witty, or that the colors are inviting, enduring and sweet. I know it can seem very shallow, but I think there’s value in things that spark joy, that are small and that are also accessible to people.”
– Ana Serrano
Es Súper Fun! is a collection of gift products based on Ana Serrano’s illustrations. She opened her business in 2015, selling cards, pins, and prints as well as tote bags, decorated pocket mirrors and earrings. The collection is lighthearted, sweet and masterfully simple. The objective is to make people happy, to spark a smile, to take your mind off your daily weariness, and to remind us that there is beauty to behold – all at a very accessible price.
Ana is a Mexican-American fine artist formerly of Los Angeles and now based in SE Portland. She’s a Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate of the Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, California. She named her company by mixing both Spanish and English to celebrate her US and Latin American heritages. The name also represents the reactions that people have when they first discover her work: “it’s super fun.”
The idea for the collection came up during her college years in Pasadena, when Ana with her friends and classmates were applying for a craft fair. At first it was a way to get together and keep each other focused on making art and reduce the stress of creating serious pieces of art. Ana found therapy in using her creative skills to celebrate, through illustration, simple things like watching cartoons. Her work has been heavily influenced by icons of her childhood, like the Japanese Hello Kitty and Sanrio, and the American Disney and Looney Toons.
Ana’s fine art collections has been featured in private and public collections, including the AltaMed Art Collection, Los Angeles and the Phyllis & Ross Escalette Collection of Art at Chapman University. She’s been published in numerous books and magazines. She also works as a freelancer for several production designers in the LA area, creating props for big-brand TV commercials and music videos. Es Súper Fun is also a way of generating a steady income stream to compensate for the economic unpredictability of the fine arts freelance life.
Ana’s venture will be one of four stores featured this holiday season at Portland’s Pop-Up Shops opening in November (2018). Her objectives are to grow her brand and notably increase sales and volume of work, with her sights set on the wholesale market and big chain stores. She will be creating smiles for her clients with new exhibits of her art in Mexico DF and her contract work in LA.
Storyteller: Diego Diaz | Photos: Diego Diaz | Published: October2018
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