Biography
Hi, I’m Mireia, a 30-year-old artist from Sant Cugat, a small city just outside Barcelona.
I’ve been creative for as long as I can remember. My mom always had watercolors, colored pencils, and all sorts of crafty supplies around for my sister and me to play with or use in family activities. But my main creative activity growing up was writing. Putting my thoughts into words felt easier than saying them out loud. I dreamed of writing a novel one day and spent hours filling my fancy notebooks with stories.
That all changed after my first brain surgery at 23. Handwriting became a challenge, my hand just wouldn’t follow my brain’s instructions. I had to retrain it for years just to be able to write again, slowly. I could still type on a computer, so I kept writing that way.
Then came the second surgery, at 27. This time, my left facial nerve had to be cut to remove the tumor, and it affected my eye. Since then, screen time has become painful. I try anyway, because sometimes I need to, but it’s frustrating, my eye turns red, it stings, and I have to stop. So I’ve learned to find new ways to work that reduce screen time. One of them is writing by hand again and using ChatGPT to transcribe it. It works almost perfectly, and I’m so grateful.
Through all this, I turned to painting again as a way to express myself, and I fell completely in love with it. A new dream was born: I want to become a successful professional artist.
Over the last two years, I’ve painted non-stop. I’m starting to find my style, my voice. At first, I leaned toward abstract realism and portraits. I completed the Mastery Program in just four months because I was eager to build on my self-taught knowledge. But once I finished, I started searching for new influences. I fell in love with the work of artists like Victoria Rose Park, Caroline Wendelin, Celine Westlund, Anna Núñez, and Ana P. Serres.
Nature also became a huge influence, especially the ocean. I began to really see it, and it shook me in the best way. I also started revisiting old photographs, both digital and printed, reconnecting with memories and moments.
After testing many materials and surfaces, I found my rhythm with acrylics on 100% raw cotton canvas. Sometimes I mix in oils or oil pastels, but I always come back to that raw, textured base. It feels honest — like my work can breathe on it.
Now, I paint fragments of memory, emotion, and place. My work is my way of telling stories without needing the perfect words — just color, texture, and feeling.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me and my journey. I’m so glad you’re here. Whether you’re just passing by or looking for something that speaks to you — welcome. I hope my work makes you feel something real.
Artist Statement
I would say my art is poetic, even nostalgic. It often begins with an idea that keeps evolving as I translate it into color and texture. My paintings aren’t about perfection or big statements, they’re about the quiet thoughts that pass through my mind, the everyday moments, and the emotional traces they leave behind.
My work reflects how I see the world: sometimes soft, sometimes raw, always grounded in reality, not just ideals. That doesn’t mean without imagination, but I try not to make it too dreamy. I’m drawn to opposites that coexist: light and shadow, calm and chaos, stillness and movement. Nothing is ever just black or white, and I try to capture that in my art.
My current collection, Down the Memory Lane: Mediterranean Fragments, is my most personal so far. It’s built from my own photographs and memories of the Mediterranean coast, reimagined through texture, light, and mood. It’s a way of holding onto what shaped me, while creating space for others to connect with their own memories.
Process
Every piece begins with an idea that feels emotionally connected to me. Sometimes I take a photo from a digital or physical album, or I arrange visual references in Photoshop to get a rough idea of the composition, colors, or overall mood. But I don’t follow it strictly. I often change things along the way, adding or removing elements depending on what the painting needs.
I work mainly on raw cotton canvas, building up layers of color and texture with acrylic paint. Over time, I’ve tried many materials — especially oils, which I still use occasionally — but acrylics feel the most natural to me. They allow a rhythm and spontaneity that suits how I work.
My process is intuitive. I rarely sketch in advance. Instead, I let the painting evolve as I respond to color, texture, and movement, allowing space for accidents and surprises.
My studio is a small space I share with my partner, Carlos, surrounded by music, meaningful objects, and the calm company of our two dogs. When the weather allows, I prefer to paint outdoors, in the garden, or ideally (though not as often as I’d like) in a quiet spot surrounded by nature.
