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FROM CANVAS TO FURNISHINGS – Mendez said he started painting and has
moved on to designing interiors such as this room with a stained-glass
fireplace. | |
His journey from amateur to pro was a busy one. "I have wasted not a
single second ever since I stepped into the United States," said Mendez
last week.
Mendez, along with his parents and two siblings, fled Cuba on a crowded lobster boat in 1980.
His grandmother, who was living in West New York and working as a
seamstress, paid for their trip with all the money she had saved. She
traveled to Florida to pick them up.
When it came time for Mendez to attend school, he tested higher than
the grade levels appropriate for his age. At 12 years old, he enrolled
at Memorial High School.
As an adult, he moved to New York City for a few years, but eventually returned to New Jersey for more space.
Mendez is now a self-taught artist, in addition to being a full-time
operations manager for a graphic design company. He dedicates himself
to learning new methods and researching new materials for his art.
"I started with oils and acrylics, then woodworking, then work with
metals," said Mendez. "I just thought I'd experiment and keep on
experimenting until I find something that sort of clicks a little more."
His latest pieces include stained-glass light fixtures and lighted mirror frames.
"The most rewarding [material] right now has been glass," said Mendez.
"Glass, in the way I have been setting it up - illuminating it - it
gives reward in plain light and rewards you in the dark."
Passion in his work
He
said that while he enjoys working with glass, he is considering
returning to paints. "I like challenging myself," said Mendez.
"Everything you see here is basically me challenging myself not to be
ordinary."
Close family and friends said that Mendez is
extraordinary because he brings so much passion and energy to his art,
as well as his life.
His motto is "Life is beautiful," and he
said it has a lot to do with maintaining his health. "Life is beautiful
when you are healthy, when you think healthy, feel healthy," said
Mendez. "It has to do with the journey of living."
Mendez said
his positive attitude and love of life is the result of having been
given freedom in the United States after having lived in a country full
of desperation.
"When you come from an oppressed world and you
are given the opportunity to flourish in freedom, you appreciate every
single second of that existence," he said. "Freedom is the most
powerful instrument in developing the riches of the soul."
Practices on furniture at home
"I
have turned my apartment into my experiment, my university," said
Mendez last week. He said that he uses every piece of furniture he has
to practice.
"Everything you see is built by me, from the floor
to the kitchen cabinets, carpets, shelves, pillows, and curtains," said
Mendez. He said that he has three sewing machines that are only a small
part of his collection of tools he has been gathering for 12 years.
He said that his past in Cuba has influenced his designs.
"The flowers that I use, hibiscus flowers, are from the beaches in the neighborhoods I grew up in," said Mendez.
Butterflies also often appear in his work.
"Butterflies seem to universally provoke the type of energy I like to
provoke in people," he said. He also said that he believes the beauty
of a butterfly relaxes and softens people. He said that this also ties
into his "life is beautiful" theme.
"I wanted to make sure that
in some way or another, the positive energy would radiate from either
the colors, the composition, or the simple symbolism," said Mendez.
He said that his gallery is just the beginning.
"I am a learning person," he said. "I am going to announce pretty soon
that I am graduating kindergarten. I am entering first grade as an
artist. My pieces are going to increase in quality and every aspect of
creative design and craftsmanship. I am going to become a much better
person but also artist. My art will reflect my growth and progress."
Gallery Twenty-One is located at 611 McCarter Hwy. in Newark. Mendez
will host a closing party on Saturday, Oct. 4 with food and live music.
For tickets to the exhibit, call (973) 424-1700. His work will be on
display until Oct. 5. |
;)
;)