ARTIST STATEMENT
Inspired by everything around me, my paintings and prints reflect my emotions, my experiences, and my beliefs and the way that I interpret them. The theme in most of my work deal with issues that we as people experience, the way we question ourselves, and the burdens we carry. I use different mediums to recreate my pictures, such as acrylic and gouache on canvas because the colors are so vibrant. I also like to work with chalk and oil pastels not only for how vibrant they are but because I can use my fingers to mold every detail like the way a sculptor sculpts. While I still love other mediums, I have fallen in love with Linocut printmaking process.
I love art and like food for the body I need art to feed my soul. Expressing myself through my art helps me deal with my disability by pouring my pain into my work, taking my mind off of my illnesses and the chaos they create in my life. I believe in showing my children that there are healthy ways to release life’s pain and struggles and deal with mental health issues. I love the process of creating linocut prints and how distinctively raw each print comes out. My mind works backwards so it seems it was a fit for me.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Mildred Annani Mercado started painting with an old box of oil pastels that her father was going to throw out when she was 14 years old; she asked if she could have them and couldn’t stop. She is Puerto Rican and was born and raised on the south side of Chicago where she lives with her family. Annani is a mixed media Artist, Beekeeper, spoken word Poet, and was a Chef for 26 years. After 12 years of being misdiagnosed, she was properly diagnosed in 2018 with Fibromyalgia and Crohn’s Disease. She took a step away from her art for a little more than 10 years. She decided to go back to school and earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. During this time, she also began backyard beekeeping and creating again, realizing that like food for the body, she needed art to feed her soul!
Expressing herself through her art and beekeeping help Annani deal with her disability, taking her mind off of the illnesses and the chaos they have created in her life. She believes in showing her children that there are healthier ways to deal with mental health issues. Inspired by everything around her, her art reflects her experiences, emotions, and beliefs and how she interprets them. The themes in her artwork deal with our burdens and how we carry them. She works with acrylics, gouache, oil pastels and has recently fallen in love with Linocut printmaking; the process and how distinctively raw each individual print comes out.
© Mildred Annani Mercado