With 40k followers on Instagram, Mercedes Bellido is adored by both contemporary artists and commercial brands, her paintings being both edgy and approachable. Often described as one of the new promises of contemporary painting in Spain, Bellido’s work centers around the animal kingdom, painted against lush, vibrant backgrounds.
Amongst her sources of inspiration, she mentions icons like Henri Rousseau, David Hockney, Aleksandra Waliszewska, and Giorgio De Chirico. “But I don’t get influenced only by painters or artists,” she told Drawfolio. “I get inspiration from childhood memories, things that draw my attention during the day-to-day, or books I’ve recently read,” she further relayed. “The most important thing is to find a way to make these ideas real and make them your own.”
Born in Zaragoza in 1991, Bellido moved to Cuenca to study at the Faculty of Fine Arts and later moved to Madrid to study an Art Investigation Masters Degree, but like most of her contemporaries, the internet played a major role in her success. “I think the internet is key to show your work and access content everywhere,” she explained. “A negative aspect can be that your work is more easy to steal, but that’s a risk you take before playing the internet game. The most important thing is to keep working and using the internet in an adequate fashion.”
With collaborations with brands like Zara, Nike, Chanel, Bershka, Reebok, and Urban Outfitters, you’d want to take note.
