Local artist uses work to speak out
Artistic expression comes out in people for a lot of reasons, and one local creative is using canvas and paint as a way to show off her passion for people from all walks of life, even those made up by others.
Recent Rockmart High School graduate Maria Mendez has always had a passion for drawing, and from a young age was doodling little characters or recreating her favorite cartoons from when she was a kid.
She didn’t give herself the title of artist until she approached high school where she began to take more serious routes in the way she approached her artwork.
The way Mendez approaches art now is by feeding off of her emotions and uses whatever medium, preferable water color, to express how she feels in efforts to reach out to comfort other people who feel the same as she does.
Mendez’s art offers a home for ones who are feeling depressed or anxiety-ridden, this was all created after she went through a difficult course in her life where she was diagnosed with depression in ninth grade after a suicide attempt. Now after overcoming her internal battles, she now creates art that bring a comfortable environment for other people portraying a message that the viewer is accepted and not alone.
Mendez credits her passion in art to her art teacher in her junior year in high school, Ms. Waddle.
She said that her teacher sat down with her one day after noticing Maria looking down and told her how she herself had went through some low points in life and found new meaning through using art to help cope with her feelings.
From t hat moment, Mendez took a whole new approach in her artwork and used it as more of a medium to speak to the viewers.
“It gets better, I promise you it does. I always though that my life would literally never get better, but it did. People say it’s always going to get better and it really does,” said Mendez. “At the moment it feels terrible and like its the end of the world, but it isn’t.”
Mendez is an active advocate for the LGBTQ community; she uses her fan art work of members of the transgender community to help push acceptance for the community by bringing out colorful vibrant artwork in goals to portray beauty and love in her art work.
She said that a main cause of her depression was that she was afraid of being ridiculed for who she is and that acceptance is a huge factor when it came to her happiness.
In hopes to give people happiness and comfort in their life Mendez tries to push boundaries by bringing acceptance of all humans into her artwork.
Mendez’s main goal in life is to create art, she now has started getting into designing band logos and ideas for merchandise.
She has always been heavily influenced by music with her art work and tends to listen to pop punk bands such as Mayday Parade and t he Maine. One can view Mendez’s artwork or order custom art work or purchase already finished products through her business’s Instagram page @lovelylittlelonelyartist or contact her email Mariamendez07189918@gmail. com.