Today we’d like to introduce you to Luisa Mesa.
Hi Luisa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Art is a second career for me. I was in the real estate finance business in my “other life” as I often refer to it. I have always been extremely creative and at some point I did a 180, going back to school to pursue a degree in Fine Arts and never looked back. It is the best decision I ever made and if I had to do it all over again, I would!
While I was going to school, I became an artist-in-residence at The Bakehouse Art Complex, and after graduating with my BFA at Florida International University, I applied to Art Center South Florida (now Oolite Arts) and was juried in. Presently, I live in a fairly large house with plenty of room for my studio. While I miss the interaction with other artists on a daily basis, I do enjoy my live-work environment.
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?
For the most part, it’s been a smooth road. As with everything in life, you encounter difficulties and struggles along the way, but most importantly, if you do what you love, you deal with the difficulties as best you can and keep going.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My point of departure in my artistic practice was photography. My initial photographs were shot in a black and white film and developed in the darkroom. At the time, I was mainly interested in people and buildings with Spanish architectural influence. My interest in arches and archways continues to this day, as does my love for the human figure.
While pursuing my BFA at FIU, I began creating mandalas and experimenting with a very personal and repetitive style of drawing. I produced a substantial body of work that began on paper and evolved onto wood panels and later glass and aluminum. To this day, I continue to create these works. Simultaneously, I was creating mixed-media art that combined photography with drawing and painting.
When I was introduced to Photoshop the possibilities became endless and my mixed-media works quickly became digital. In some of these digital compositions, I combine my own photographs with vintage images from an inherited family album. In others, I draw or paint faces by hand and after scanning them I combine them with photographs and compose them in Photoshop. Presently, I am also experimenting with AI, incorporating some of these images into my work.
I am fascinated with pictures of people from another time period. Placing these individuals from the past in contemporary scenarios greatly inspires me. By incorporating vintage photographs into contemporary backgrounds, these pieces explore the theme of transcendence and question whether our perception of the past, present, and future is as concrete as it appears to be.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I believe drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture, to name a few, will always be around. Over the next 5-10 years I see artificial intelligence playing a huge role in the creative process, particularly in the younger generations. It’s already happening and I see it increasing as the years move on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.luisamesa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luisamesa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LuisaMesaArt/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisa-mesa-83a52911/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Luisa_Mesa
