Mercedes’ interest in art was encouraged in high school where she was fortunate to have one of the best art teachers in Florida. With her guidance and inspiration, Mercedes experimented in all mediums including graphite and colored pencil, pastels, oil, acrylic, watercolor, fabrics and textiles, weaving, batik, soft sculpture and more.

At the age of eighteen, while in high school, she landed her first job as an artist in a boutique/studio setting at Tropic Art in Orlando where her profession as an artist began. Simultaneously, Mercedes attended Valencia College taking general studies and art courses. Later, she worked as a billboard painter at the time when they were laid out and painted by hand. She was fortunate to work with two master painters who specialized in pictorials, using oil paints on 14 x 48 foot billboards.

All this gave Mercedes the confidence to pursue a freelance career as an artist creating custom paintings and a business as a muralist.

"I love to draw and paint nature. When I see the golden glow of a sunset blanketing the horizon and casting its light on the earth while defining the colors of the waves in the sea, I am moved to create."