The Return of Personal Style
February 27, 2026
DJ Rod Uno at City Arts' 3rd Thursday | Photo by Leah Lascano, Orlando Life
Exploring Orlando Artistry at CityArts’ 3rd Thursday
Downtown Arts District’s CityArts brought in a stunning batch of artwork with this month’s 3rd Thursday event. CityArts is a gallery central to Downtown Orlando, located in the historic Rogers Kiene building. Every third Thursday of the month, CityArts holds an opening reception, ringing in the new pieces on display in the gallery for the next month.
Executive director of the Downtown Arts District, Barbara Hartley, shares that she loves the rotating gallery collection because of the wide variety of artists it brings in, with people sharing their artwork from around the world, and local artists evolving and growing through each piece of theirs put on display. Serving as the executive director for the past 15 years, Hartley is an Orlando local who got her start as a volunteer, seeing the creative community of Downtown Orlando flourish and grow alongside the gallery.
CityArts Executive Director, Barbara Hartley at 3rd Thursdays in February 2026 | Photos by Leah Lascano, Orlando Life
“I want to thank our community for believing in CityArts, and for all the people who buy art and support local artists…it keeps their dream alive and makes them want to thrive and become better at their practice.” - Barbara Hartley
Located upstairs in the Redefine Gallery, artist and Redefine co-founder Peter Van Flores debuted “Última De Las Flores”, his final solo art show in Orlando. This exhibition is rich with Puerto Rican and Brazilian influences, as well as lush, floral imagery. A supportive crowd flooded the gallery, showing support for Flores’ work by dressing in botanical attire and dancing to the vibrant sounds curated by DJ Rod Uno. The night was topped with Flores’ proposal to his girlfriend of 20 years, a romantic and inspiring gesture that wraps up his farewell exhibition with love.
Also housed upstairs, in the Mahesh Haddah Spotlight Gallery, artist Ryan Semple displayed his solo exhibition “From the Sky”, a multimedia collection of pieces themed around the beauty and diversity of North American birds. In this collection, Semple combines traditional art practices with intricate woodwork, showcasing the marriage of these two approaches in his craft. He details his experiences working on this collection in his blog, stating that the duality of maintaining a rigid woodworking mindset with his expressive artistic mindset has been a uniquely challenging task. This collection demonstrates Semple’s growth as an artist, visualizing his transition into the next chapter of his practice.
The Young Artists Gallery in CityArts rotationally spotlights student creatives. Unveiling her unique style at her gallery debut, Amiyah Nyomi, a 14 year old self taught artist from Orlando, showcases her dazzling portrait collection at 3rd Thursday. She gravitates towards depicting women and their complex expressions through an array of colors, specifically inspired by the colorful intricacy of stained glass. Nyomi was accompanied by her loving and supportive family, who are endlessly proud of her accomplishments as a young artist.
Additionally, Orlando Life spoke with a variety of talented artists on display in the “Out of this World” Exhibition, each giving insight into their otherworldly pieces, as well as their experiences as Floridian artists.
Joshua Coe is an eclectic artist originally from Bradenton, Florida. He recently moved to Orlando this past October, praising the City Beautiful for its expressive art scene. He says he admires being able to see more people embracing creativity for the sake of creating, and embracing colors just to have fun with them, a refreshing approach to the practice that contrasts his Bradenton experience.
Coe has two pieces currently on display in the CityArts Gallery, both created with a unique collage-like style, blending materials like crayons, colored pencils, acrylic, watercolor, sunprint, and oil pastels. “Crossing the Threshold” and “Adrift in the Horizon”, are constructed of five paintings of Coe’s that he cut up and re-arranged, an approach inspired by his experience teaching art to dementia patients.
“Watching how [dementia patients] create, they made a mark and then they moved on, they didn’t care about what happened next. So, this was made with a mindset of, it doesn’t matter, I can move on to make the next thing” - Joshua Coe
Joshua Coe at CityArts' 3rd Thursday | Photo by Leah Lascano, Orlando Life
Also on display is 25 year old artist, Joyce Rosa Robles. Her two featured works: “...hEaRt” and “HeArT.” are representative of her exploration of thoughts on spirituality, queerness, and the connection of the mind, body, soul, and universe. Veering away from hyper-realism, Robles uses vivacious color to encapsulate aura and speak to her personal style. Spending most of her life in Miami, Robles says that now as an Orlando local, the art scene has shaped her by bringing her out of her box and allowing her to experiment more with her artistic approach.
“[In Orlando], there is no lack of variation and expression. You’re never going to be seeing the same thing.” - Joyce Rosa Robles
Joyce Rosa Robles | Photo by Leah Lascano, Orlando Life
Tampa artist Hayley Marshall, or “Hyzly’s World”, made her CityArts debut with her piece “Retina 95”, an homage to her artistic beginnings as a Windows 95 user. Communicating nostalgia through eye-catching visuals, this piece uses the eye motif as a window to the soul and a portal to another world. As her first gallery venturing outside of Tampa Bay, Marshall shares her positive experience branching out and immersing herself in Orlando’s diverse art scene. Showcasing support and appreciation for other artists in the gallery, Marshall encourages everyone to fearlessly follow their dreams, detailing how pursuing her passion has been the most fulfilling undertaking of hers yet.
Tampa artist Hayley Marshall, or “Hyzly’s World”, made her CityArts debut with her piece “Retina 95”
Bringing it in with a galactical bang, Omar Berrios depicts an awe-inspiring black hole in “Born Again”. Created digitally on Procreate, this piece symbolizes Berrios’ interpretation of his Christian faith, using the black hole imagery as a means to represent the transmutative cycle of the human experience. Located in St. Cloud but operating out of Orlando, Berrios explains his goal of creating connections with fellow Central Florida artists, as he was mesmerized by the display of talent he saw scattered across the CityArts walls. As he submerses into the abyss, Berrios’ exhibition debut showcases his venture into a new chapter of his creative journey.
Omar Berrios depicts an awe-inspiring black hole in “Born Again”
Finally, finding beauty in the small and strange, self-taught artist Liliana LeBeau likes to represent the “little guys” in her artwork. Her piece “Moonlight Angels” depicts sea angels, a funky underwater creature that she was drawn to by playing the video games Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. This blacklight reactive piece is full of whimsy and wonder, speaking true to LeBeau’s mission of capturing the enchantment in the overlooked, small creatures of the world. Based in Melbourne, FL, LeBeau hails Orlando as the community that has cracked her out of her shell, allowing her to meet other creatives and expand her network as an artist.
“Events like these help me feel inspired by seeing other people’s work; it makes me feel passionate. There’s always room to improve, and the community is so welcoming and kind, so it’s really nice to get together with other artists.” - Liliana LeBeau
Liliana LeBeau and her peice “Moonlight Angels” | Photo by Leah Lascano, Orlando Life
Overall, the artistic ecosystem of Orlando has proven to be a fulfilling and mutualistic one, with CityArts acting as a premier hub for ambitious creatives. Through every piece placed on the walls, a unique story is conveyed, visualizing the diversity throughout the Central Florida area. Take some time to stroll downtown and support these passionate, local artists as they pursue their dreams, one canvas at a time. These exhibitions are on display at CityArts from now until March 15th, and the next 3rd Thursday event will be held on March 19th from 6pm-9pm.
Jaime Parra at CityArts' 3rd Thursday | Photo by Leah Lascano, Orlando Life
Ileana Miquilena at CityArts | Photo by Leah Lascano, Orlando Life
