Andrea is a contemporary abstract artist.
Cernin has had a creative soul from a very young age. In elementary school she was praised by her teachers for her incredible artwork. In middle school her teacher told her that she was going to be a graphic designer when she grew up (a prediction based on Andrea’s over-the-top PowerPoint presentations). From that moment on, she was dead set on what she was going to do with her life.
She received her BFA in Graphic Design from Iowa State University in 2013. She worked in the corporate world as a graphic designer for 10 years while also juggling a wedding invitation business. Then she fell in love with surface pattern design in 2020. Shortly after, she felt a strong calling to express herself with painting. Andrea found her way in the surface pattern and painting world by playing and experimenting daily.
She continues to juggle abstract painting, designing pattern collections, and freelance graphic design on a daily basis. Oh, and being a mom to 2 toddlers, 2 dogs, and a black cat.
Andrea lives in Marion, IA with her husband, Keaton, and their two young daughters, Willow, 4 and Sutton, 2. You can usually find her designing in a coffee shop, drawing on her iPad, or painting in her sunny home studio.
Artist CV
EDUCATION
2013 BFA in Graphic Design — Iowa State University, Ames, IA
2018 Color for Creatives — Gregg Gun
2020 Immersion — Bonnie Christine
2022 Better Than Art School — Amira Rahim
2020 Creative Visionary Program — Nicholas Wilton
2021 Art Really Is Everywhere
2024 Larger, Wilder, Looser — Cat Tesla
2024 Art Fuel — Susan Melrath and Terri Froelich
2025 Color Course for Rebels — Jodie King
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 Patron Exhibition by OnView Gallery — Miller Eyecare, Cedar Rapids, IA
AWARDS
2021 Top 10, Planner Cover Art, Golden Coil
2022 1st Place Winner, Planner Cover Art, The Everyday Mother
2024 Top 10, Planner Cover Art, Golden Coil
2025 1st Place Winner, Planner Cover Art, Golden Coil
MARKETS
2025 Uptown Marion Market, Marion, IA
2025 Lubben Winery Market, Anamosa, IA
RELATED EXPERIENCE
2013 Freelance Graphic Designer, Andrea Cernin Design
2020 Freelance Surface Pattern Designer
2023 Commissioned Art Mural for Downtown Iowa City