Inspirational Art with Fab Lima Medina

"The Face"

Fab knew she was an artist when she was very little, fourth grade to be exact. There was a supermarket contest for creative kids and Fab’s mother encouraged her to enter the contest. She won the contest and after that her mother signed her up for painting classes at her church in Venezuela where she grew up. She has very vivid memories of when she started painting and how much she enjoyed the process. “I remember coming home from school and just getting right into my art.” She would listen to what her heart was telling her to do while painting and then trust in the results.

She began expanding her creativity beyond oils by experimenting with resin. When asked about the difference between working with oil and resin Fab said, “One of the things that I loved the most about oil is that is very forgiving; resin, on the other hand, is the complete opposite.” This is because the resin dries very fast, but she enjoys working at a fast pace, and so the artist and the resin formed a bond. “Resin, for me, is like the other part of me; it’s like my best friend. It’s like a marriage with a woman, and I fight with it the most, but it’s also the one that I care about the most, because that is the part of me that doesn’t like control. I just like to let it go and let it flow. Let me be, just let it go, Fab, stop controlling. But there is the other part of me that wants to make things one way. I just have to let it go at the end of the day.”

Mitch Gobel, an Australian artist who started experimenting with resin in 2012, was one of her early inspirations. Listening to music while creating her art is another way this gifted artist is inspired. “I pay attention to the sounds and melody of the music, not the lyrics. It depends on how I am feeling. If I am feeling nostalgic or romantic, I listen to Andrea Bocelli, The 1975, Charles Lloyd or Bon Iver. If I am feeling like I need to be hyped up, I listen to Linkin Park, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd or Vampire Weekend.”

“Quiet the Mind and the Soul Will Speak” is Fab’s favorite creation so far. “There’s something about the colors of this painting that bring so much peace to me. The combination of the white with the contrast of the lilac, grey and yellowish color is so soothing to me. This painting reminds me of ‘freedom.’ Almost like when you take a deep breath

Artist Fab Lima Medina

INSPIRATIONAL ART with

FAB LIMA MEDINA

BY SAMANTHA MONTGOMERY

Lake Nona Social Magazine had the pleasure of sitting down with local artist Fab Lima Medina to discuss her art, passion and what’s up next for this talented, young lady.

and there’s some sort of relief inside of you. I identify myself with this painting a lot, because I see it like my alter ego, the way I want to be and be seen through the eyes of the world: peaceful, soothing, and free.”

When asked about the future, Fab said, “I have so many emotions inside of me. I am very grateful that I have accomplished so many things in my life, like this interview. I never thought I would be having an interview.” In addition to creating beautiful art, Fab is hoping to put together a charitable cause, which will center on education. “The way I want to give back to the world is through education, and possibly give others the same opportunities I got!”

I closed out the interview by catching up with Fab at the DeLand Art Festival this March, where she had a successful weekend showing and selling her art. I decided to purchase a replica of her piece “The Colors of My Heart.” The artist describes this piece as, “Basically a burst of love and a lot of emotion. The love you have for yourself and that love that comes inside of you, that pure soul. And, my buyer for “The Colors of My Heart” is a really old friend of mine who is in Paris, France. He definitely deserves this painting; he has a very special place in my heart.”

If you are interested in supporting this rising star, her art can be purchased on her website at Limesart.com or you can commission a piece directly from the artist. She is happy to work with fans of her art on color choices and sizes but laughingly cautions that ultimately, “The resin is going to do its own thing; it’s like that stubborn woman.” l

Above: "Quiet the Mind and the Soul Will Speak" Below: "The Colors of My Heart"

Bookworms’ CORNER

BY SAMANTHA MONTGOMERY

Laura Martin— FLOAT

Camp Outlier isn’t the kind of camp where you just eat lots of s’mores, catch a fish for breakfast and gather around a bonfire; it’s also the kind of camp where other RISK kids can let loose and be themselves without getting judged by their peers. Kids labeled RISK by the government have Recurring Incidents of the Strange Kind. If Emerson is not tethered to something strong, he will simply float away, all the way to the moon if not intercepted. When Gary’s hands get stuck to something, good luck getting him detached; it could be days before he finds himself unstuck. Hank is the optimist and inspirational guy in the group and also has a knack for turning partially or fully invisible at the most inconvenient times. Zeke has X-ray vision, Anthony will spontaneously combust, and Murphy inadvertently travels to the future—something that the government doesn’t appreciate. When this group of twelve-year-old boys meet for the first time at Camp Outlier, only Hank is happy to be there and make the most of his summer. Hank and Emerson will do their absolute best to keep their friend Murphy from meeting an unknown and unfortunate fate, and in the interim help create a lasting friendship that might inspire a sequel from Laura Martin.

I absolutely loved this book and all the chaos that ensues when six preteen boys try to make the most out of summer, all while trying to check items off of their “life lists.” If you want to find out if Hank gets that first kiss or if Anthony is able to lasso a pig (without a doubt the funniest scene in the book), you will have to take a chance on FLOAT. I promise that you will not be disappointed. This book has also won the distinguished Sunshine State Award for middle-school readers. l

Marie Benedict— The Mystery of Mrs. Christie

Agatha Christie is one of the most widely known mystery writers of the century and is still celebrating literary success today; however, many people are not aware that in December of 1926, Agatha went missing for 11 days. During that time, the media went wild with sensational stories surmising all the possible outcomes, the police and Scotland Yard took a keen interest in the case, and her husband Archie, a man of few words and a bad temper, became entrenched in a scandal that he had hoped to avoid altogether.

The author does a fabulous job of weaving together two stories: The first story is about a young Agatha and Archie falling in love at the onset of the Great War, and the second story details the current turmoil in their relationship that ultimately led to her disappearance on a cold winter night. As the suspense builds and builds, you will be tempted to type “Agatha Christie’s disappearance” into a search engine, but I strongly suggest you hold off until you finish reading, because when you reach the pinnacle of the story, you will not be able to put the book down.

Curiously enough, years later, when Agatha wrote her own autobiography, she omitted any information about her mysterious disappearance and adhered to the first rule of Hollywood: Always leave them wanting more.

Marie Benedict is a bestselling author who takes famous and interesting women from history and gives them a voice through her historical fiction platform. Some of her other works that I highly recommend: The Only Woman in the Room, The Other Einstein and my personal favorite Lady Clementine, which delves into the role of Winston Churchill’s wife and her efforts to help England survive the war. l