Born
in Medellín, Colombia, Vanessa Mejía
began drawing and painting at an early age at the encouragement
of her mother Gloriacé who is a well-known sculptor and interior decorator. In 1997, Vanessa relocated to California to study Child and Family Development and Fine Arts at San Diego State University. Besides having art as a career, she also compleated her Masters degree in Rehabilitation where she can use her art skills working with children and adults to help them express their inner selves.
During these studies, she discovered her true devotions: Art
Therapy and Fine Arts. She has worked with children who have
disabilities and with people who have suffered brain injury.
She has helped them to express their feelings and emotions by
using symbols, colors, and shapes.
Her inspirational enrichments
and love for the arts come from Expressionist and cubist artists,
such as Franz Marc and Pablo Picasso. In her paintings, Vanessa
uses bright colors to illuminate her perceptions, enriched
by her childhood experiences growing up on the Colombian coasts
made famous by its "greenscape" and majestic sunsets
that host a plethora of color and dimensions.
Some of Vanessa's paintings are abstract while others have a personal meaning. She captures the eye by her use of colors, which form cubistic expressions with simplicity of style and form. She says that instead of concentrating on objects, her main emphasis is on the intensity, contrast, and depth achieved by each brushstroke combining reason and emotions as a perception of life. She has had several groups and solo shows and her art can be found at different galleries. |
