At age four, Fernando began his studies of the arts, focusing his energies on violin and drawing. He was encouraged by his parents Eduardo and Maria, both creators of educational games and materials. His father was gifted in oil painting and cartooning, and his mother a pianist who enjoyed making puppets. Tragedy struck the Apodaca family on October 21, 1989, when Eduardo and Maria were killed in a plane crash in Honduras. Fernando was fifteen when he moved in with his oldest sister Margaret, and began to create art prolifically in the forms of diaries and sketchbooks. These works drew inspiration from folk and primitive art, and from memories of his childhood.
After graduating with a BA in Fine Arts from Pepperdine University, Fernando attended both the SACI Art Institute in Florence, Italy, and the Southern California Institute of Architecture. He was invited by photographer and friend David Gulden to complete a series of artworks in Kenya for a solo exhibition at Phillips (formerly Phillips de Pury & Company) in New York. From July 2004 to January 2005, Fernando worked in the capital of Nairobi, at renowned photographer Peter Beard’s Hog Ranch, and at the remote prehistoric graveyard of Lake Turkana. These artworks are integrated with Fernando’s film creation Majini examining themes such as reproduction, growth, and obsolescence. Majini won awards for “Best Experimental” at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. The film and related artworks, constructed from bronze, glass, leather and hair, were some of the art premiered at Phillips de Pury & Company, New York.
Fernando is Co-Founder and Art Director of MODRA Studio, a high-concept artisanal decorative textile and wall-covering company based in La Jolla, California. He is now beginning a new series of artworks for exhibition. To view the collection, please visit www.modrastudio.com.
Awards
Awards
+ “Best Work of Art” Art Beast at The Blacklist Art and Film Festival, San Diego, CA 2010
Past Exhibitions:
+ “Memento Mori: Remember Your Mortality”, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA. October 2011
+ “Sea Dreams” Installation, Adobe MAX, Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles, CA. October 2011
+ The Blacklist Art and Film Festival, San Diego, CA in August 2010
+ Orange County Museum of Art, Laguna Beach, CA in January 2008
+ Sun Coast Farms, Tijuana River Valley, CA in November 2007
+ Cox Arena VIP Lounge, San Diego, CA in July 2006
+ House of Blues, San Diego, CA in September 2006
+ Phillips de Pury & Company, New York, NY in February 2005
+ BGH Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA in March 2004
+ The Silverlake Society of Authentic Arts, Los Angeles, CA in November 2003
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