Who is Alma Vera
Welcome to my personal space!
I am Esmeralda, the woman and artist behind Alma Vera Design. I am thrilled to have you here and to share my passion for art with you.
I have been an artist my entire life, and my love for art started when I was just five years old. I was born and raised in a small town called Velingrad in Bulgaria to a Mexican mother and a Bulgarian father. Growing up, my parents worked long hours, so I spent my afternoons with my grandparents. They taught me how to bake, and I fell in love with the creativity involved in making something from scratch. As a single child, I spent a lot of time playing the piano and watching TV. I was drawn to fashion shows on TV and could watch models strut down the runway all day long. I started drawing my own fashion models and describing the fabrics and materials that I envisioned they would wear. I could spend a whole day just drawing and not doing anything else.
In seventh grade, my mother insisted on taking me to Eastern Orthodox Iconography classes. Iconography is a branch of art that involves the creation of religious images. This was my first formal education in art, and I learned many valuable lessons, including how to make a piece of art last for decades, and hopefully longer. This is when my slogan "Ars Longa Vita Brevis" was born. It is a Latin phrase that means "life is short, but art is long-lasting."
After graduating high school, I decided to pursue my dreams of coming to the United States. I chose to study accounting and put my love for art on hold. I was fortunate enough to start my accounting career in one of the world's most prestigious accounting firms with an office on Times Square in New York City. After leaving the firm, I worked for various companies as an auditor and financial analyst. However, something was missing from my life, and I realized that I wanted to pursue my passion for art again.
One day, while going out with friends, I found myself with nothing to wear, and I wanted something yellow. Despite having a closet full of clothes and accessories, I couldn't find anything in that color. I ended up wearing just jeans and a black top, which felt very plain. I decided to make a simple butterfly design on two wooden cutouts I had and painted them yellow. I used a hairdryer to dry them, drilled a hole in each piece, and attached an earring hook from another pair of old earrings. And voila! I had a brand-new pair of yellow butterfly statement earrings that made me feel like a million bucks. I wore them like I had bought them from an expensive store, and I received many compliments that day. This is when I decided that I would always want to create my own accessories that have a personal touch.
As an artist, I always like experimenting with different mediums and surfaces, and I can confidently say that anything and everything can be a canvas and a medium for me. I am currently focused on painting on hats, but in the future, I may introduce other surfaces and mediums. The possibilities are endless!
My vision for Alma Vera Design is to create unique pieces that make people feel confident and happy. I believe that art should be a part of our everyday lives, and my purpose is to create art that inspires and uplifts others. I intend to make art for as long as I live because that is my purpose in life: to create, to paint, and to make people feel confident when wearing my pieces.
When I'm not painting, I enjoy playing the piano.
Thank you for visiting my website, and I hope you enjoy my art!
