Rosa Henriquez spends her weekdays from 9-5 working for the city of North Miami, where she’s been employed for several years in various departments. But what happens during her off hours and what blossomed during the pandemic is what fuels her creative passion.
It all began when in 2020, when Henriquez was cleaning out a closet belonging to her mother and made a discovery.
“I found watercolor paints and paper and brushes that I’d given her as a gift for Mother’s Day,” she said. “I put it all on the dining room table, hoping she would begin painting.”
(Courtesy of Rosa Henriquez)
Rosa Henriquez in her home studio working on a new painting.
Henriquez’s 93-year-old mother used to paint watercolors but now spends her creative energy playing classical music on the piano, “whatever she can remember,” said her daughter.
When her mother failed to pick her brushes back up, Henriquez was inspired to try her hand at painting herself. Soon after, while scrolling through social media, she discovered a virtual paint-and-sip class.
“What I saw on social media looked interesting, so I started painting,” she said.
Henriquez shared that watching her aunts and cousins sewing and crafting beautiful dresses when she was a child also inspired her artistic side. Soon, she was showing her work at her first exhibition, at the Copperbridge Foundation’s July 2021 “Casa Lakou – Community Love Activation” in North Miami.
She hasn’t looked back since.
In 2021 Henriquez showed and sold her work at the “We Movement Miami” and “Full Moon Glow Up” events. That year and again in 2022, she was part of the “Artists in the Cloisters” exhibition at the Ancient Spanish Monastery in North Miami Beach.
The North Miami Beach Public Library welcomed her art for three consecutive years: at 2021’s “One Language, Many Accents” exhibition, 2022’s “Con Acento” show and 2023’s “Empower: Courageous, Industrious Fearless Women.”
(Courtesy of Rosa Henriquez)
Henriquez stands next to her piece "Patchwork of Strength and Resilience," which was displayed at "Fortitude Strength in Adversity" exhibition at the North Miami Beach Library in March.
Keeping up the momentum, Henriquez was also present at North Miami’s Caribe Art Fest in 2022 and 2023, displaying and selling her work.
Throughout the years, she’s expanded her repertoire to include other art materials such as acrylic, fabrics and threads, and mural painting. Her work has both a softness and strength about it, incorporating bold and light pastel color palettes.
Recently selected as an artist for the Adrienne Arsht Center’s “Brushes with Cancer” initiative, Henriquez says she’s absolutely thrilled to be a part of the program.
“I am so excited to have been accepted to participate in this program where they match an artist with a cancer patient, survivor or caretaker, and that individual becomes the artist’s inspiration to create a piece of art,” she said.
Coming up on May 9, Henriquez’s work will be displayed as part of Brevo Theatre’s “From Us With Love” exhibition at the Ali Cultural Arts Center in Pompano Beach.
Because of her full-time job, “It is difficult to focus on my art, but I make time at night and on weekends,” admitted Henriquez, but she often comes home after a long day at work and spends an hour or so creating in her home studio.
The space is flooded with natural light beaming through French doors and filled with her creations, paints and materials. She says it fills with joy because “creating art relaxes me. It is a form of meditation and mental health therapy.”
(Courtesy of Rosa Henriquez)
Rosa is all her smiles next to her artwork that was part of the "Con Acento" exhibition at the North Miami Beach Library in 2022.
Staying connected to other artists is also important to her, and it’s why she’s a member of the American Watercolor Society (AWS) and the Fiber Artists Miami Association (FAMA).
“These memberships allow me to connect with other artists, access resources and showcase my work within artistic communities,” Henriquez said. “My journey from a pandemic-inspired novice to an artist with exhibitions and memberships reflects my dedication and passion for the world of art.”
See Henriquez’s work in person at the upcoming exhibition at Ali Cultural Arts Center in Pompano Beach; follow her on Instagram @cocowatercolors to view her work and stay informed her upcoming shows and events.