Today we’d like to introduce you to Isa Merlos.
Hi Isa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve been creating art since I was a kid and since then it has evolved throughout my life. My art mainly depicts my inner world and my relationship with the outside world, or just my creativity and storytelling. In terms of education, I don’t have much higher educational training, I’m mainly self taught! Most of my art education has come from public school and summer camps for the arts during my younger years. I also don’t have a public studio so I work outside of my bedroom studio! In 2022 I began submitting my art pieces to different open calls across the DMV area. Since then my art pieces have gained traction and I have been apart of ten group exhibitions and hosted three solo exhibitions in many different galleries across the region. I create new art whenever I can, and plan to continuously do so!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not always been a smooth road and there have been many struggles along the way! The struggles I’ve faced being an artist range, but most come from different age groups trying to discourgae me from creating art in many different ways. The reasons ranged but were mainly rooted in superficial beliefs. Many have told me it wasn’t “worth doing” since financial gain is a challenge, as if I’m doing this for the money! I’ve also been told I was too young to be creating art, and someone my age should not be in galleries (basically saying only art made by old people is allowed). I’ve been told a young person like myself should only focus on work and or school. Surprisingly, those people that have told me that have been older artists trying to discourage me! Talk about encouraging, am I right? I’ve also had people tell me my art isn’t good and how to “improve” it. Most of those people weren’t even artists, but it’s highly probable they just wanted to seem intelligent. I’ve also had people damage and throw my art out. Combined, those challenges made creating art feel nearly impossible, and I struggled for quite sometime. It hindered the confidence I had in my artwork and the possibility of having it shown in galleries. Only after moving through those struggles I realized the “advise” of others are just their personal beliefs. Therefore and I don’t have to adopt their way of thinking!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I mainly work with oil pastel and acrylic paint! Although I’m known to be a multidisciplinary artist and love mixed media work! I mainly create abstract art but also enjoy creating street art (graffiti), conceptual work, graphic design, and illustration. I enjoy using spray paint, collage, print making, ink, acrylic paint and oil pastel in my artwork. I believe I’m known for the different series of artwork I create. One series is an abstract series called “Searching for Freedom”, where I create characters (with oil pastel) floating and interacting in front of a black background. Another series is 1oo’s of illustrated sticky notes put together to make one art piece. I’ve also had many favor my street art as well! I think I’m most proud of my versatility and creativity, I think that’s what sets me apart from other artists in galleries.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
It’s hard to say what changes will happen within the art industry in the next 5-10 years. I hope the industry embraces young artists and creativity more! Some of the most popular artwork I see within the contemporary world is made for easy profit, and sometimes it’s so obvious! It seems like there’s not much creativity or thought going into some of the most popular art right now. I think a trend in contemporary art right now is shock value. Whatever can gain the most shock value can gain the most popularity. A big shift I want to see is more spaces for artists, more affordability, support, and opportunity for artists of every level.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.isabellamerlosart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isabella.merlos/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@chanchita861
