Merlee Vergara- Mission Artist Statement

Artist Statement

    Creating immersive worlds infused with personality is something Merlee Vergara wishes to do with her illustrations. A sort of world and universe that transcends the work, where viewers will feel and relate to the characters that inhabit them; those were the thoughts she feels when thinking about her future plans for her career. Throughout her life, she has been fascinated by the fantastic storytelling created by many creative minds, such as Walt Disney, Don Bluth, and Genndy Tartakovsky. Memorable tales that are told through classical 2D animation, utilizing the elements of art to bring life to these stories and appeal to the viewers that watch them no matter the age group. Their use of color theory, compositions, and character expressions to construct iconic scenes has always attracted her. Something that cannot be captured by realism, but is familiar enough that we can relate to it in some capacity. 

She has come to this point where she wishes to commit to her own stories and explore conceptual work. The beginnings of an animated piece, and the blueprint of everything that embodies these fantasy worlds. Basically, to assemble her own artistic puzzle to eventually deliver a wonderful tailored masterpiece of whimsy and fun, reflecting the true her. The her who wants to delve into the imagination of many others through her own. How she wishes to portray her conceptual artwork was a journey on its own. From experiencing her favorite movies and the work they used for world-building, her explorations led her to discover that color is one common aspect that she’s drawn to. Colors are a universal way to communicate emotions, conveying and setting the tone of certain scenes, something utilized greatly in animated works. Upon this realization, she wanted to explore this within her own artwork.

This exhibition will incorporate several different story ideas she has developed while exploring different palettes of color through a digital medium. The significant number of tools that we can utilize leaves us with a lot of freedom to creatively explore and experiment, which is why she prefers this medium. These visual works will include key elements such as concept art, character designs, and possibly more. She and possibly others will be able to gain a better understanding of how critical illustrating conceptual art is to visualize the final result by utilizing all these creative assets.

Link to Presentation