Brilliant Illusions by Leah Draffen
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ARTIST ANDREA MISTRETTA’S LOVE of visual art first bloomed as a young girl while listening to music with her grandfather. She reflects, “My grandfather was a music afficionado who loved it all—classic operas; European folk music; American Jazz, especially Louis Armstrong. He would frequently challenge me to draw pictures of the composers’ busts he had in his music room. I would draw them on the stiffener boards from silk stocking packaging my grandmother would save for me.” It was without hesitation that Andrea knew she wanted to be an artist, even at 3-years-old. Her father’s screen print shop, which was right behind the family’s house, was an endless source of paper trim. Andrea would use it to draw on and experiment with. As a teen she began helping her father with hand-cutting films, printing and sometimes designing, all while the likes of Louis Prima and big bands blared in the background. After high school, Andrea became interested in theatrical costume design. She attended the Traphagen School of Design in
I n side N ew Orl ean s
photos courtesy: ANDREA MISTRETTA
Cover Artist Andrea Mistretta
