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Gia
I started La Selva Art Studios as a place for anyone who loves to create. My dream is for the studio to grow into a space for all ages, offering workshops, classes, and events that invite people to explore various ways of making art. I hope artists connect with one another here and feel a deeper sense of community through shared creativity.
For school-age kids, I believe the most meaningful moments often happen after school or during breaks. These times give children room to express themselves in ways that matter just as much as what they learn in the classroom. My teaching style focuses on helping students strengthen their technical skills while exploring new ways to express themselves. I encourage students to collaborate, celebrate differences, and engage with their community. As a parent, I know how important it is to nurture a child’s interests—it's where they shine. Making art regularly helps build confidence, independence, and personal growth.
together we make space for creativity to grow
I share life with my partner Zach, our kids Olivia and Alex, our dogs Biba and Beau, and our cats Pablo and Lola. I received my BFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Florida in 2004. The idea for La Selva began in 2018, inspired by my grandmother, Selva Rodriguez. I completed my MA in Art Education in 2020, focusing on community art centers. I’ve lived and created within Gainesville’s art community since 2001, after growing up in Winter Park, Florida.
My loves: listening to music very loudly, cutting up magazines for collage making, mixing paint, screenprinting t-shirts & stationary, sketching ideas for a whole painting series, making my kids chuckle, meeting fun, new people who care about important things, fighting against injustices, biking to meditation class, amateur landscape design, dancing in the dark, jumping into large bodies of water, strolling through museums, traveling as much as possible, exploring new places, collaborating with creative people, meditating in groups, being barefoot, Ideas that never stop, adventure, people that love humor, kids that keep digging up new ideas, astrology & tarot, underdogs, watching movies, and supportive communities!
bio:
a longer look
2026 - 1990
2018-2024
during my master's program, i focused on researching independent community art centers. there was a deep calling to provide space for people to gather and connect through artmaking. after graduation, from 2020 to 2021, i wrote a business plan and slowly gathered funds. in 2021, i opened la selva art studios. it was a full circle moment.
2015-2018
during the pregnancy of my second child, i developed an online kid's apparel shop. i needed a creative outlet while i was a stay at home mom. i had taken a screenprinting class and absolutely loved it. i was so inspired by my kids and called the business sweet wild press.
2014
i called this series ghost. we unknowingly lived in a haunted house for about 4 months. a lot of weird activity happened and all these photos were taken at that house. a few months after moving, i printed the photos on a black and white cheap printer, all the images barely appeared. the toner was out of ink and these ghostlike images emerged.
2013-2014
i called this series the space behind my eyes and i was exploring themes on identity and spirituality. i wanted to paint more during this series but was struggling to find time to dedicate to my art practice and duties as a new mother.
2010-12
i entered into a lot of various themed artshows during this time. starwars - chewbacca, wes anderson characters, and the happy ones are some examples of the work i submitted.
2009
the furry fangs series is a collaborative project created with my best friend, sara poindexter. we were inspired by the various stages of an idea. we explored metaphorically how to "birth an idea to existence".
keywords: nature, female, fertility, conception, tribal, sacred, animalistic, and furry
2008-2010
grand family series began when i started painting with acrylic paint. at the time, I found acrylic so freeing from oil painting. my two pug dogs were Influential during this time. they had a magical gaze and childlike Innocence I wanted to capture.
soon after this painting series, i was pregnant with my first child.
2006-2008
animal lady series stemmed from my interest in mythology and animal medicine wisdom. I was intrigued by the idea of animals carrying an archetypal energy that felt representative to a woman's journey.
2001-2004
at the University of florida, i explored themes in feminism, gender roles and identity. i feel fortunate to have studied under these artists/professors: richard heipp, ron janowich, jerry cutler, and arnold meshes. the irony was i didn't have any female professors during this program.
1994-2001
during and after high school, I took several art classes at crealde school of art and valencia college. In 2001, I applied to the University of florida and began the bfa program in painting and drawing.
my mentor, jackie otto-miller, was Influential during this time.
1990-1994
When my parents divorced, my mother enrolled me in art classes at a community art center in winter park called Crealde school of art. at the time, i was painfully shy and these summer art classes helped build my confidence and practice in artmaking.
my favorite artists were picasso, dali, and van gogh.
