About
Starving Artist:
Hungry for Change, Growth, & Love.
About the Artist
Mercedes was born in San Antonio, TX, and raised in Las Cruces, NM. She currently resides in her hometown of San Antonio where she graduated from The Art Institutes in 2019 with an Associates of Applied Science Degree in Graphic Design.
While mostly working in acrylics, Mercedes has also experimented with various forms of materials and mediums from watercolors, graphite, oils, collage, and digital. Although her formal education focuses on the digital era and design, most of her education stems from the public school system with teachers who encouraged her pursuits, and artists she’s acquired knowledge of such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Edgar Allen Poe, Bob Ross, and Vincent Van Gogh.
She has shown work in the Contemporary Textures exhibition at Travis Tile (2019) and Pictures of You exhibition by Creative Eye Gallery (2021) and is currently working on two collections titled “Deez Doughnuts” and “The Image of God”. The first is a digital NFT series based on her personal taste whereas the latter revolves around themes alluding to religion and encourages reflection of humans and their psyche. She is currently a host to Paint Nite® paint and sip parties at local venues in San Antonio.
Artist Statement
When creating art, it’s imperative to always be looking for different perspectives, because as much as we want to think that “seeing is believing”, things are rarely as they seem. Philosophical at heart, I question anything and everything because it allows me for an increase of understanding in others and life in general; therefore removing assumptions and making connections I might have otherwise overlooked.
The more complex questions I pondered, the more simple answers seemed and it probed the possibility that there are paradoxical truths in life such as “the only constant is change” or “less is more”. I have come to conclude that most of the answers we seek in life are simple; not easy, but simple.
They say art mimics life and that’s exactly where I pull my inspiration from: the fact of existence, why do we exist, the pains of existence, what it means to be human, nature, people, animals, behaviors, and emotions. I believe it’s my duty to explore the unexplored and ask questions others are potentially afraid to ask.
My work is a reflection of who I am and my views on society, alluding to themes of love, religion, death, the psyche, and mental health. I would describe it as raw, honest, reflective and slightly gory with an undefined art style.
As an artist with an innate tendency to create, because I was made in the image of a creator, I feel the importance of a legacy, or clues, to leave behind - otherwise how else could I provide proof of my existence or leave the world better than in which I entered it? My core mission is to bring new ideas, light, hope, and inspiration with a positive message to the world.