Nicole Waszak Mendez

Six years ago I graduated with a B.A. in art from Marylhurst University, a small private college just outside of Portland, Oregon. My original major was mathematics but after taking my first art class I fell in love. I have always been a very analytical person and reconciling my natural hesitation toward sharing emotion with my desire to create something that reflects my private feelings has proven to be a bit of a challenge. As much as I have grown as an artist since first beginning painting ten years ago, the process of art-making has been a huge contributor to my growth as an individual. My work generally focuses on the different stages of womanhood and is a part of my personal exploration of femininity in contemporary society. As a child I was sexually abused - as a staggering 1 in 3 girls are - and for a long time this left me with an uncomfortable feeling toward my role as a woman. Only since the birth of my daughter have I started to embrace my feminine side and this event coincided with a shift in my work from depictions of an empty and sorrow-filled youth to a look into individual experiences of womanhood and childhood. I am blessed to be a full-time mother and partner while pursuing my own career goals. I am currently raising 3 children with my husband while attending graduate school.