Today we’d like to introduce you to Onix Mejias Rodriguez.
Onix, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am originally from Puerto Rico. I was born and raised there until the age of seven, when my family moved to the mainland United States. We moved around a few states eventually ending up in Texas right before starting my college career. I never could really answer the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I knew what I liked and didn’t like but could never picture only doing one thing for the rest of my life, and to be honest, I still can’t.
I decided to go to school for the only thing I liked to do, which was art. I had never had strict teaching of the arts, but it was what I enjoyed doing in my spare time and was always known for in high school. My parents also encouraged me to study what I was truly interested in, so I went for it.
By the end of my sophomore year, I began taking my work more seriously. I remember thinking back at opportunities I had missed out on for shyness or lack of awareness within the arts community at the University. I decided to be more active and began working for the school gallery and as a figure model for drawing and painting classes. This has been one of the most personally rewarding occupations. Something about posing infant of a classroom nude, it gets rid of insecurities, it made me a more open person and I cared less what people thought about me.
That attitude carried over to my work, and to this day, while I value critiques and opinions of other artists or people that see my work, in the end I make it for me and not for an audience.
Has it been a smooth road?
I won’t pretend to have invented the “starving artist” dilemma. But unless you are extremely lucky, being an artist has its financial issues. It is encouraging to hear from other artists further on In their careers that they still struggle from time to time with financial aspects and the balance between art, work, and family.
We’d love to hear more about your art.
I make abstract paintings, drawings, some videos, and live performances. I focus more on paintings, and all my work has a linear element. I’m drawn to lines and marks because of their immediacy. To me, line work is the fastest and purest way to capture a form, shape or idea. I play with color, line quality and variety to introduce more complex designs or compositions. Although my 2-D work is formal and conceptual, I can expand on these ideas with performance.
Performance being an action and time based medium, it offers more liberties and is more human. Not just because of the human interaction but because the actions are based on personal experiences or events.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Houston and San Antonio are both buzzing art communities and there are a lot of opportunities for immerging artists, not just established ones. Dedicate time and effort to your work.
Contact Info:
- Website: OnixXMR.com
- Email: xadiel3328@gmail.com
- Instagram: @arts_not_dead
Image Credit:
Shelby Deady
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