Artist Bio
Hi there! I am a Mexican artist living and working throughout the state Texas. I have always enjoyed drawing and painting and love the freedom of expression that it gives me.
Body positivity and self-confidence are very important to me, so my work primarily centers around the female form. I love illustrating figures with confidence and beauty of all varieties.
I have a wonderful husband, an adorable daughter, a goofy dog, and an angry cat. And lots and lots of plants!
CV
Education
MFA | Present | Savannah College of Art and Design
Major: Illustration
BFA | 2018 | Sam Houston State University
Major: Studio Art
Concentration: 2-Dimensional Studio Art
AA | 2014 | McLennan Community College
Major: Visual Arts
Professional Experience
Illustrator | Restock Gaming | September 2021 – Present | Waco, TX
Creating illustrations and graphics for marketing, merchandising, and promotional purposes.
Illustrator | The Jigglewatts Burlesque Revue | April – August 2020 | College Station, TX
Internship focused on creating illustrations for the use of marketing and merchandising for select members of the troupe.
Photographer| Mom365 | April 2019 – March 2020 | Bryan, TX
Photograph newborns and their families within a controlled and limited environment.
Painting Instructor | Art Center of Waco | June 2018 | Waco, TX
Instruct children, ages 8 – 12, to various methods of painting.
Gallery Worker | Sam Houston State University |May – July 2017 | Huntsville, TX
Cataloged the University’s art collection and curated an exhibition of selected work from the collection.
Designer | VIDA & CO. | 2015 – Present | San Francisco, CA
Designer for fashion apparel and contributor to a global partnership of co-creators.
Illustrator | Freelance | 2013 – Present | Texas
Creating private commissioned illustrations for individual buyers.
Curatorial Projects
2017
trEat Well Inc., Satellite Gallery, Huntsville, TX
Selections from the University Collection, (Co-Curator) Lowman Student Center Gallery, Huntsville, TX
2016
Zeitgeist, Satellite Gallery, Huntsville, TX
Selections from the University Collection, (Co-Curator) Lowman Student Center Gallery, Huntsville, TX
Solo Exhibitions
2018
Arcana, Satellite Gallery, Huntsville, TX
Group Exhibitions
2019
The Tiny Sketchbook Project, Brooklyn Art Library, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
2018
Sketchbooks on the Island, Governor’s Island – South Battery, New York, NY
The Sketchbook Project 2018 Tour
Ponce City Market, Atlanta, GA | Hyde Park Arts Center, Chicago, IL | Historic Distillery District, Toronto, Canada | Brooklyn Art Library, Brooklyn, NY
Studio Art, Photography, and Animation Senior Exhibition, Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, Huntsville, TX
The Senior Preview Show, Satellite Gallery, Huntsville, TX
Work from Students in Advanced Classes, Satellite Gallery, Huntsville, TX
Black Canvas, Satellite Gallery, Huntsville, TX
2017
SAA Juried Show – Dream State, Lowman Student Center Gallery, Huntsville, TX
trEat Well Inc., Satellite Gallery, Huntsville, TX
Choices, Satellite Gallery, Huntsville, TX
The Human Form, The Cellar Wine Lounge and Gallery, Huntsville, TX
Commissions
2018
Private, Monica + Kyle, digital photography, graduation photos
2017
Private, Corazon y Casa, medium-scale painting (3’ x 5’), oil on Masonite in ornate frame
Private, Team Arrow, traditional illustration (9” x 12”), ink on paper
Corporate, Knightly Valor, medium-scale painting (4’ x4’), oil on Masonite, Academy of Combat for European Martial Arts
2016
Private, New Life, medium-scale painting (4’ x 4’), oil on Masonite
2014
Private, Snared, traditional illustration (9” x 12”), colored pencils on paper
Publications
2020
“Meet Blanca Cardenas | Illustrator”, Shoutout HTX, December 2020, https://shoutouthtx.com/meet-blanca-cardenas-illustrator/
2018
“Meet Blanca E. Cardenas Barragan”, Voyage Houston, July 2018, http://voyagehouston.com/intereview/meet-blanca-e-cardenas-barragan/
“The Ties That Bind”, LINE WEBTOON, June 2018, https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/the-ties-that-bind/list?title_no=190878
Honors and Awards
2018
Kenneth Zonker Endowment Scholarship – Honorable Mention, Sam Houston State University
2017
Faculty and Student Team (FAST) Grant – Inventorying collection for the art department at Sam Houston State University
Permanent Collections
2019
The Tiny Sketchbook Project, Brooklyn Art Library, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
2018
The Sketchbook Project 2018, Brooklyn Art Library, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY