Meet
the
Artists!
Amanda E. Hoppe
With 25 years in education and 15+ years as an award-winning theatre director and production designer, Amanda transforms ideas into experiences that move people. She has built programs from scratch, developed technical theatre training for young students, and shaped immersive environments that dazzle — from over 100 staged productions to French boudoir-inspired lounges.
As a visual artist, Amanda works in gouache, watercolor, and pastel, blending bold color and expressive texture to capture emotion and story on the page. She loves to capture a story in a landscape, creating an emotional connection to the world she is portraying on her canvas. Recently, Amanda began her formal education pursuing her Master’s in Illustration at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California. Excelling in color theory and form, her artistic practice fuels her design eye and informs her artistic style.
In addition to her artistic endevors as a freelance artist, Amanda is currently developing two children’s books — including Sage on Stage and The Adventures of ROBI the Robot — which inspire courage, creativity, and life skills through grand storytelling and art.
Now pursuing a Master’s in Art Therapy at West Liberty University, Amanda is expanding her artistry into spaces of healing and growth. At the core of her work is a simple belief: art tells the stories we need most — whether on stage, in a book, or in the spaces we inhabit.
Luis Julian Medina Torruellas
Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1982, I discovered my passion for art at age five while studying at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School. In middle school, I learned to use drafting tools, and later expanded my artistic foundation at Ponce High School under the guidance of Puerto Rican visual artist Luis “Tato” González. During this time, I participated in my first art exhibit at the School of Fine Arts in Ponce.
After graduating in 2001, I pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (2001–2007), where I explored various art styles and techniques including printmaking and sculpture. However, my strongest passion remained painting and drawing.
Throughout my career, I’ve participated in numerous art presentations across Puerto Rico. My professional journey in comics and illustration began with ARTIFICE (2008), a collaboration with Alfonso González, followed by work on the graphic novel Gravestone™ with Danny Jiménez and Eric Ramos under Utopixia Studios (2009–2022), where I contributed digital colors and graphics for multiple titles.
In 2013, I relocated to Florida to begin a new chapter. From 2015 to 2018, I taught art at the Crealdé School of Art, offering courses on comic and illustration drawing for young adults, as well as summer cartoon classes. From 2018 to 2021, I served as a K–5 Visual Art teacher, further sharing my love for creativity with younger students.
My recent accomplishments include collaborating as a colorist on the Gravestone™ graphic novel with Utopixia Studios LLC and creating a logo for Sweet Stack Cakes. I am currently developing my first children’s book—entirely hand-drawn and painted in watercolor—while completing my Master’s Degree in Illustration at the Academy of Art University.