Introducing Mesa

Mesa is an artist like many others that are unconscious of their talent, but whose talent is revealed thanks to the eyes of the beholders. And for whom creating, painting in Mesa’s case, was a hobby, a passion even, all too consuming at times, but without the ambition of existing as an artist per se; just for the mere pleasure of creating. But who eventually, having been told so many times “you should show your work” end up seeking a professional opinion. And thanks to the recommendation of one of our clients, Mesa chose Art Traffik as a stepping stone…We were very lucky !

Of Spanish origin, Mesa has always been fascinated by art. With an incessant questioning : « How is it that Man can make such beautiful things ?”., as when she was faced with the paintings her father would buy, which she would admire for hours on end, or when she would visit museums and exhibitions.

At the age of 22, she was torn by a tragedy :  the passing of her father. After which, and without being able to explain why, she bought painting supplies and, through painting, found a way to cope with the suffering, her mourning. “When I paint, the world around me literally disappears, time comes to a halt, my mind is on pause and I stop thinking”.  Painting became her refuge, a safe haven; a place she has developed the habit of going to ever since that day, and still feels the need to delve into to this day.

So, she painted, in a self-taught manner…Mainly nudes, for the human body inspired her more than landscapes. She progressed, technically, with the will to improve which led her to enroll in painting classes when she was 34. That lasted 4 years.

“But I got tired of painting like everyone else; I felt like I was imitating reality when, in all honesty, I actually felt the need to break the rules. I needed abstract, to let go and was progressively losing the pleasure I felt from painting…it was becoming a bore.”

That’s when she crossed paths with Josep Puigmarti who told her “you know, abstract isn’t as difficult as you think” and he decided to spend an afternoon in her atelier with her and revealed to her his “secret” (secret she still keeps, don’t bother asking her to reveal it to you)… Thus, she followed his advice during 2 years. Two years during which, and despite of Josep’s secret, abstract remained frustrating to Mesa. Until one day, she decided to change all her materials, and bought acrylic paint, markers and pastels…her gesturing, her stroke, her thrust and her style were at that point on freed, with the renewed sense of pleasure from painting, creating, and finally seeing on paper what Mesa had in her bowels all this time. She showed the result of her newfound work to Josep who then said “You were able to free yourself and create what many artists take a lifetime to create !” and he encouraged her to pursue. It was then that Mesa, as an artist, as an identity was born, and she was able to finally find pleasure, an escape…a parallel world that opened up to her when leaning over the paper to create.

Many creations have come about since, all the while continuing to explore her style and to progress and evolve…and it is with these artworks at hand that she came knocking on our door; artworks we are proud to present to you !

Mesa paints on canvas at times, however, paper is the medium she holds dear for it is there that her strokes, the first stroke from which her artworks arise, express themselves best…For Mesa’s initial creative step is to let her pencil move freely, with pure emotion and impulse, leaving instinctive curves. From there, shapes will arise that will challenge Mesa, often on end. She then erases parts of it, entirely even, before letting her stroke wander away, time and time again, until she can “read” and perceive her work of art. Only then will she begin to use markers, pastels and acrylic paint, outlining certain pencil strokes, filling in blanks with an economical use of colors (3 at most), in addition to the black and scales of gray she uses to highlight her strokes.

« When I start working on an artwork, I never know where I’m going. My stroke stems from my prevailing mood which also leads and steers my colorization. I feel like I truly discover and become aware of my artwork only once it is finished, and in some way, I snap back to the reality of my atelier. It’s like waking up and discovering the end result with my own eyes.”

Shapes arise from the strokes and colors.

If personas appeared intuitively in her earlier artworks, the more Mesa evolves, the more abstract seems to take the upper hand, yet one’s imagination may still distinguish personas, the personification of her shapes, as Man remains Mesa’s favorite theme. And although she is the first spectator of her works once she has “awaken”, she likes to narrate each detail and give us the keys to understanding them; there are scenes, life lessons, moments and objects for which only Mesa has the artistic interpretation. Still, without Mesa’s interpretation, your imagination and your feelings will narrate your own perspective of the aesthetics found in the balance and imbalance of her strokes, or an emotion which stems from the chaos. That’s why Mesa likes to play with the imperfections of her lines and curves which she does not rectify. “My mood is as it appears on the paper, I hate perfection…it bores me and it dehumanizes.” A sort of sweet madness, an unconscious projection similar to automatic writing, on behalf of the artist ? Without a doubt, and that’s what makes her artworks and her style so unique !