National Park College (NPC) announced Orlando Ruiz Diaz as January’s student of the
month. Diaz is a student in the Digital and Media Arts program.
Born and raised in Oklahoma, he moved to Hot Springs his senior year and graduated
from Lake Hamilton High School. He enjoys graphic design and works part time at Hobby
Lobby. Since he began attended NPC, Diaz said he has discovered how to hone his artistry
in all forms. His favorite class Digital Skills. “The kind of projects that she [has]
given there are really specific and you kind of have to develop a system for how we
work and what we’re going to apply.” He said it is difficult to talk about art pieces
objectively, but he enjoyed it.
Diaz expressed a distinct aptitude for writing, an interest sparked from a young age.
Instructor Leslie Braniger boasted of his writing talents. “Orlando earned an A in
his Composition I class with me, starting out strong with a descriptive narrative
about his trip to Oaxaca, Mexico that left me feeling like I'd been there myself.
In his analysis of author Mark Bittman's ‘Virtual Sabbath,’ he noted that the author's
decision ‘to go offline is not radically leaning towards postmodernist caveman,’ which
illustrates his thoughtful, colorful prose. He is conscientious as well as conversational
in class, and this honor is most deserved,” said Braniger.
Diaz expressed gratitude to his instructors for helping him to challenge himself.
When asked about his interests he said, “Any art or anything creative in general is
right up my alley.” He said his biggest struggle has been the quantity of work to
produce in such a short time, but he realized that it has helped him to grow as an
artist. He attributed his success to the way he has been driven to find the point
where he produces his best work, with focus on both quantity and quality. He noted
one of his biggest and most memorable lessons was from instructor Lana Taliaferro,
who taught him that his biggest competition would be the artists who always wanted
to turn in assignments first or take it a step further than asked.
Diaz hopes to pursue his bachelor’s degree with Henderson State University while working
on freelance projects. His long term goal is to be an art director or creative director
and ultimately establish his own advertising agency.
Pictured is Orlando Ruiz Diaz with his 40” x 30” original done in charcoal. More of
his artwork is available in his online portfolio.
