"Woman"

Museum-quality giclée Epson matte paper | Sustainably sourced Ayus wood frame | Hanging hardware included

My name is Joaquin Mares. I'm an artist. I began my creative journey almost as soon as I could walk. Supplied with only a few crayons, a big imagination, and a blank space on the kitchen wall in my parents' home, I took my first step on a path that would forever define my identity as an artist. Many years have passed since then. As I retrace the path I've taken. Along this extraordinary journey, I can't help but marvel at the countless ways art has colored my lifes experiences. I was born in Denver, CO on May 13, 1972. Like any other kid, I spent most of my early years, rescuing damsels in distress and slaying seven-headed beasts. In a world created in my own imagination. However, that make-believe world wasn't just a place I went to for fun. It was also where I sought refuge. In the midst of the trauma I experienced throughout my childhood. Art was just a natural extension of that creative aspect of myself, the channel through which I expressed my hyper-active imagination. With the exception of the basic instruction, I received in elementary and junior high school art classes, I learned most of what I know about art outside the classroom. Growing up, I had always dreamed of going to art school, but as an under-privileged, un-educated, Hispanic kid from the "hood," realizing that dream seemed infinity beyond my reach. I dropped out out of school in the 9th grade. Just a few years later at the age of 20, I was send to prison for life. Fast-forward 29 years, and I'm still creating art. Only now I do so as if my life depends on it. I made mt first serious attempt at painting about 8 years ago. I haven't looked back since. Of the many postives gains I've made through out my incarceration, none have in powered me to realize my potential for change more successfully than the saving grace I have found in art. I now view my life as a testimony to the redemptive power of art, and I am humbled by the ways in which art has in abled me to serve others. It is in this manner that I strive to better myself with the hope that I may not only become the artist I aspire to be but also the best person I can be. Today, when I gauze at my reflection in the mirror, I am thrilled to see that I am no longer the same broken adolescent. My name is Joaquin Mares. I am an artist. .