ALTON - Superstar artist Rocky Pardo is back at the Edwardsville Art Show again this year. The Art Show is scheduled for September 23-25 at City Park.
Rocky graduated from SIUE in 2014. She always wanted to be an artist and by age 14 was working with metals. She fell in love with metals work at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Rocky said she loves the Edwardsville Art Fair and being around the various artists.
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“It is great talking to the different artists at the art fair,” she said. “Last year everyone seemed to have a great time and the artists seemed to do very well.”
Rocky Pardo Jewelry is handcrafted and a collection of high-quality mixed precious metal jewelry. Her designs showcase her split roots from both St. Louis and Spain, where she was born.
“I fell in love with metals as a teen," she said. "I received a BFA in Metalsmithing from SIU. I worked full time at a jewelry store in Kirkwood, MO., before going out on my own in 2016."
Rocky has a Fosterburg studio. She credited her husband, Michael, as a huge supporter of her and he helped build her in-home studio in Fosterburg.
Melissa McDonough-Borden, executive director for the Edwardsville Art Center and Carolyn Tidball gallery manager and education coordinator, said she is beyond excited that Rocky will return again this year to the art fair in October.
“Rocky Pardo is such a wonderful artist and such a great person to be around,” Melissa said. “Having her participate in our art fair is so exciting. We can’t wait to see what she has this year. She offers great support to the arts center, too.”
Tidball said they could not be more proud of Rocky.
“She is a local artist and has a degree from SIUE,” Tidball said. “She does art fairs all over the country year-round. We are lucky to have her in her hometown. She provides lovely and unique work and joy to people.”
Today, Rocky's work is previewed with two other artists at the Edwardsville Art Fair this year:
Artist Name: Rocky Pardo
Location: Alton, IL
Artist Statement: "My works are miniature wearable homages to my split roots in both the Midwest and Spain. Art became the universal language that bridged the two cultures and the sky was the vessel that brought me from one to the other."
Artist Name: Roberto Quintero Velez
Location: Long Pond, PA
Artist Statement: "Artisan's handmade shoes promote the use of recycled materials."
Artist Name: Michael Plurad
Location: St. Louis, MO.
Artist Statement: "Each illustration begins as a drawing in my sketchbook. I then ink it and add hues, highlights, shading, and textures. The goal of all my work is to convey a sense of nostalgia when reading an old fairy tale or children's storybook."
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