Natalie Mercedes

Artist's Statement

Life in 2020 has been surreal. We have been expected to stay in the security of our own homes, to become cautious about what we touch outside, who we come in contact with and to mask ourselves at all costs. Something that feels so unreal, like in the movies, has become our reality.

While life seemed to burn ablaze, I had to take the time to be real with myself, the only controllable factor in all of this. I learned about myself. I began to control what I could eat and parted ways with tasty meat. I found love in veggies, fruits and patties made of beans. Rebirth in every bite. Learning acceptance for being essential and not feeling valuable. Remembering to breathe, accepting that this was now life, and still thanking above for the people around me. Now enforcing the time to enjoy the strange everyday scenes and allow love for them. The world began to change and I began to transform. I tried to capture this sense of transformation in my still life oil paintings of random products from everyday life that stand tall together to create a captured moment, mimicked on canvas. Objects contrasted with different textures, shapes and colors. Odd but simplistic. Seeing these products juxtaposed on canvas, rather than in their natural setting, the effect is surreal like the hallucinatory quality of a dream.

These surreal paintings stem from Renee Magritte and his everyday outlook on a world far from reality. Paintings vary from acrylic to oil. All paintings were created in the security of my bedroom/studio and classroom for 4 out of 5 classes.

Senior Show Gallery