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.

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Poshichi's Digital Take on Nihonga

Using digital tools, Poshichi makes nihonga-style pictures of everyday life. These images can be anywhere from funny to calm, thoughtful, imaginative, or even a bit wild. It's a wonderful harmony: the past rendered perfectly in the present. Nihonga is basically Japanese painting that gets its look from using mineral pigments (and sometimes ink) on surfaces like silk or paper. The term was created back in the Meiji period (1868–1912) just so people could tell it apart from Yōga, which is what they called Western-style painting. Art was everywhere in Poshichi's childhood: the grandfather ran a framing shop, and the grandma was an art teacher. Poshichi loved to draw, and was destined for an art career. But, you know how it goes—life had other plans. Thankfully, a friend encouraged the Japanese artist not to quit drawing, even if just as a hobby. Though Poshichi initially created dark, gloomy pieces due to depression, adopting a cat two years ago changed everything. “I felt the nee...

The Unseen Emotional Landscape

I'm currently obsessed with Pon Arsher . Her paintings are like a stylish cage fight between realism and abstraction, and every human figure seems to be nursing a perfectly haunting and beautiful existential hangover. On my computer, it's cool. But I want to see the real deal. The internet is probably the greatest gallery humanity has ever created. But sometimes, a piece of art leaps off the screen and refuses to be contained by your monitor. Anyway, when she was young, the self-taught Moldovan artist found drawing in silence more fulfilling than socializing. But she wasn't avoiding life; she was capturing it. Drawing wasn't an escape from friends, but an intense conversation with the most essential, silent part of her soul. Her art looks like an emotional x-ray, and it lulls me into a dream state. It's also a reminder, for herself and viewers, that our feelings—even the bad ones—are valid. Ms. Arsher proves that art only needs an authentic voice and the courage to ...

Just Do It... With Bricks

Cross-brand collaborations are very much a thing and, just recently, two of the most iconic names in merchandise have teamed up to create a really cool playground in China. This effort is more than just putting two logos on a swing set; it's about designing a space that actively promotes physical agility while also sparking imaginative thinking. It's like if your P.E. teacher and your babysitter from when you were seven suddenly started a band. It's unexpected, but you know it's going to be awesome. The 2×3 LEGO brick is the direct inspiration for this colorful space, which aims to give kids the freedom to design and navigate their own climbing and play routes. Frankly, I'm a bit jealous. When I was kid, a "modular playground" meant a tire swing that barely moved and a slide that guaranteed a static shock.

finding cain

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