Landis Cyra Anderson, a self-proclaimed moonchild, was born in the middle of a thunderstorm in Manhattan, New York. She believes her affinity for powerful expressions and the sublime began that rainy night. A lover of art and self-expression from her drawing-on-the-walls years, to now, she earned a Bachelor’s of Art in both Studio Art and English from Grambling State University in Louisiana.
Her art portrays Black stories, feelings and experiences. It depicts the beauty, strength, joy and pain—and the nuances between. She aims for her art to build a bridge between the spirit and emotions of people of African descent and those of people of other races and cultures; the goal of which is always empathy, understanding and respect. Cyra's primary artistic concern is the enlightening discovery of self by providing a candid intimate encounter with the emotions and experiences of Black people.
Now, a Houston-based mixed-media artist with a penchant for painting, she’s professionally known as Cyra the Artist. Storytelling is still incorporated in her artwork through empowering effervescent figures and portraits. Like the storm she was born into, Cyra believes her creativity surges and brings change within her audience. Her motivational mantra being “All that I do will be in service of my art” led her to becoming a member of the Hardy and Nance Studios family and the birthing of her dream: Visionary Grind Arts—a cornerstone of creativity where Black and Brown artists, and all lovers of art, can engage and connect. She plans to expand Visionary Grind Arts from a collective to an arts complex in the Houston arts district.
