Skip to main content

The Art of Jose Mertz


Jose Mertz is someone who doesn't mind breaking out of his comfort zone. The Miami-based visual artist blends the contemporary and the traditional and draws inspiration from science fiction, ancient civilizations and the mystic arts. Whether it's a collaboration with Adidas, a mural for Dr. Smood, or a poster for Pacific Rim: Uprising, Jose seems to approach each project with the same passion.

After graduating from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2002, Jose decided to live in New York and studied Zen for several years. During that time he also traveled the world and encountered different people that would eventually inspire his work and change his life.

Below are some of my favorites, but you can check out his website and Instagram for more.






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Gilbert Legrand turns mundane stuff into delightful characters

Gilbert Legrand doesn't see the world like the rest of us. You see a scrubbing brush, he sees an Apache chief. You see a a pair of scissors, he sees smooching lovers. The French artist's imagination is so wild and unrestricted that he can turn the most ordinary objects into unexpected sources of delight. I just spent half an hour lurking on his website, and you should, too.

Dealing with Job Rejection

Rejection takes many forms: The varsity team, Tinder, the credit card, the university, the girl next door, Google AdSense, the job. Growing up, I never wanted to be a journalist. I wanted to be a pilot, or a shipmaster, like Captain Nemo. And then in my second year of college, I decided I wanted to be in public relations. After graduation, I applied to seven PR firms in Manila and got seven rejection emails. The job seemed perfect. The interviews went smooth. I was optimistic. But, they hired someone else.    Being rejected after a job application can seriously break your self confidence and morale. I was devastated when I got turned down too many times, and I became depressed, angry and quite difficult to live with. However, I realized that wallowing in misery and regret will never help. So I took a step back, analyzed my job search strategy and determined my flaws.    Have you been rejected recently? Cheer up! Just because someone says no today doesn't mean it'...

Katy Ann Gilmore is my new favorite on Instagram

Katy Ann Gilmore is a Los Angeles-based visual artist who specializes in making extraordinary illustrations on paper and large scale murals using micron and gel pens. Her elaborate line work is painstakingly methodical, layering strokes of the pen in varying directions to create amazing shapes and topography that look like they are covered with intricate mesh netting. I was wondering how many pen strokes does it take to complete just one of these drawings, so I did some research and found out that her small 5 in. by 7 in. illustrations typically take a few hours, while an 11 in. by 14 in. picture can take anywhere from 10-25 hours. "My hand does hurt a bit after marathon sessions, but never anything too crazy," she told Lisa Congdon. "I try to rest my eyes/hands/brain every once in awhile by looking away from the drawing, dropping the pen, and taking a breather." Katy received a BA in Mathematics, Art, and Spanish from Greenville College in Il...