Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenda de la Cruz.
Brenda, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am an artist, an art historian, and an interior designer.
Art has always been a consuming passion to me. Finger painting as a preschooler … building “tropical dwellings” from foliage and flowers … you name it!
As far as I can remember, ever since I encountered my first crayon, art has been an integral part of my being – it has always been art and design, textures and composition – they all seemed to me as natural as the air that I breathed. Even at an early stage, art for me was a wonderful experience to be encountered.
I am now long past those days when as a child I would hide with my cousin Alex behind the floor-length drapes at home and eat crayons to see if varying colors had different tastes (they did not!).
Years later while in college, many late nights would be spent painting with my childhood best friend and favorite fellow artist Daniel Puissegur. Danny would go on to have his artwork sponsored by American Express and to design opera sets in New York. Over the years, I sold many of Danny’s paintings to my interior design clients, represented his art to the Decorative Arts Center and supplied his paintings to many galleries. A number of his paintings grace my walls at home – a living tribute to my beloved friend and favorite artist whose life was tragically cut short related to that fateful September day of the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City.
My “professional” career as an interior designer began with legendary Atlanta department store Rich’s shortly after arriving in Atlanta. Eventually, I left Rich’s and established my own interior design firm, de la Cruz designs.
From its very beginning, I always believed that like art, interior design should also be an experience to be encountered: Good interior design should rely upon art principles, namely, color, composition, light, and texture – all to function within our daily needs and to enrich, comfort, and enhance our lives every day. This has been my interior design philosophy for every project which I have had the privilege to undertake, whether large or small or whether local or abroad.
Recently, my love of art was rekindled when I was asked to arrange the donation of a couple of corporate art collections to museums and universities across the country. In particular, the emotion and symbolism of one of the artists in the collections reminded me of my belated friend Danny’s artwork, and gave me the heart to draw upon to accomplish what could only be described as an enormous task.
It is much more difficult to donate artwork to museums and universities that it is to sell the artwork outright. Statistics show that, on average, for every 1 donation accepted, some 200 are rejected! In any event, after much extensive research, confirmation of the Provenance of the art works, and seemingly endless follow-ups, I managed to donate some 2 dozen of the corporate client’s paintings and sculptures to museums and universities across the country.
Moving forward, other artists have again asked for representation and I have been asked by the family/Trust of a deceased artist for my input on the art legacy planning. SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) in Atlanta asked me to write the art history opinion for a donated triptych of former Atlanta College of Art/SCAD alumni Gene Arthur Allcott, said donation has led to an annual event (the “Friends of Gene” Event) held on Memorial Day weekends at a local gallery or museum. The annual event gives cash awards to graduating artists and alumni from SCAD.
Most recently, another artist whom I have been asked to represent and I met with the Curator of the Atlanta History Center. Tom Ferguson (whose work is in permanent collections in museums in the South and the Northeast) was part of the 1978-1982 Cyclorama restoration/conservation team, which literally saved the Cyclorama painting and its associated Atlanta history. It was truly encouraging and humbling to hear Mr. Ferguson give his firsthand account regarding this historic painting, as well as correct a number of the history assumptions regarding details of the original painting. Mr. Ferguson will be recording his remembrances of the historic conservation “saga” at the request of the Atlanta History Center, both for the public and future art historians.
Back down to earth, I await response from a client from the islands regarding which contractor’s bid is accepted to proceed with the repairs to their Atlanta home.
Art and design – 2 sides of the same coin? It is so with me. I think and function as an artist and designer. I could not be either the one or the other. I cannot be other than who I am.
Nor would I want to!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No life or business is ever left untouched by adversity or setbacks. There is always the possibility of a project encountering problems for any number of unforeseen reasons. That having been said, deep reliance in God, firm adherence to my personal convictions, and dealing with others as I would like to be dealt with has enabled me to face challenges and obstacles.
Life is a learning experience and so is business! Along the way, I have learned that in business not all people behave “by the rules.” Schedules change. Contracts are not honored by clients. Manufacturers and suppliers go on strikes or discontinue products. People fail to pay their bill for services rendered. The list goes on and on – and like others, I have been hurt!
My life has had many challenges and I have been enriched by the trials. Still, I do not wish to go back – or need to do so. Like it or not, we must go forward or die. Going forward, my bottom line is that I am confident in what I know and I have great respect for others. Yes, sometimes life hurts and business and life learning experiences hurt, But, like a former employee I was honored to know, once said, “Treat people as fragile, because they are.” May we learn and be fruitful and useful for others, as well as ourselves. I hope my past business difficulties have not turned me bitter – but better!
Please tell us about de la Cruz designs.
With over 20 years of interior design and art consultation experience, I am an art, architecture and furniture historian with classical training and degrees in Fine Arts and Art History.
de la Cruz designs capitalizes on my personal background and training to bring a unique perspective to interior design gleaned from a background ranging from artist and art consultant, to custom furniture, fabric, and carpet design, to creative and color theory consulting.
What sets us apart from others – our foremost strength, if you will – is a passion for creating warm, comforting and practical eco-friendly surroundings, passionately combining a harmonious balance of light, color, texture, scale, and composition with client-focused priorities in order to create environments that are at once current, and yet, timeless.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Tasting crayons!
Contact Info:
- Address: Terminus 200
3333 Piedmont Road NE • Suite 2050, 20th Floor
Atlanta, GA 30305
*** BY APPOINTMENT ONLY *** - Website: www.delacruz-designs.com
- Phone: (404) 467-4898 – (770) 394-5339 24/7 Voicemail
- Email: info@delacruz-designs.com
Image Credit:
© 2017, de la Cruz designs
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