Meet Zach Mendoza | Artist, Writer and Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zach Mendoza and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zach, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’m not sure that I had much choice in the matter. Whether or not I pursued art as a career, I knew from a young age that art would always be a large part of my life. This was inexorable. As a child, I could sit for hours practicing and experimenting with different tools. I’d draw huge chalk drawings in the driveway and fill countless sketchbooks and I was always regarded as the kid who could draw in all of my classes throughout my youth. I loved drawing and painting and making stuff.

I didn’t become serious about pursuing a career in the arts until college. I remember making the first big decision of my life sitting on the grass in the center of my community college to continue my studies in Art School. I decided to study at the Art Center College of Design. I chose this school because so many of my heroes in the art world were in some way connected with the school as alumni or teachers. Artists like Andrew Hem and Kent Williams were affiliated with the school and I ended up meeting both, with the latter becoming an instructor of mine.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I take play very seriously in my art. I love to experiment and think that taking chances when working often results in either disaster or beauty and I like to walk that line. Being dedicated to one’s work, mining one’s psyche to excavate ideas, and pushing materials are great recipes for making something that hasn’t been seen before. This is what I aspire to do.

I’m excited about working larger. I’ve been staring at five dusty 5’ x 5’ blank canvases as they lean against a wall in my studio for a while. I’ve been letting some ideas percolate and I’ve made small comps to envision what the larger pieces will become. I’m excited to realize these images at scale.

Nothing worthwhile is easily won. Unsurprisingly, I’ve found it difficult to make a living solely from art but I’m on that path and grateful to be so. It’s been many years and hours working diligently under a single flood light to experiment, refine, and build mileage. Seven years ago, I was painting in the living room of our old apartment, then we moved and I set up in the garage which was rough in the summer, and now I am fortunate to have a studio office in our home.

I received some great advice early on that was invaluable and that has guided me forward. I reached out to a painter whom I admired when I was approaching graduation by sending him an unsolicited email to ask if he had any advice for a young aspiring painter about to graduate. He responded and provided some generous advice. He explained that it’s best to get my work out as much as possible and to make it consistently. One line that I often think about from this exchange is “Painters paint”. This meant that if I wanted to be an artist, making art was simply something I needed to do regularly and regardless of life’s circumstances. This simple directive has proven very helpful for me in the seven years hence. I think that consistency is the greatest measurable ingredient for success.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We have so many great restaurants in Houston and I’d have fun taking them to several spots throughout the city. I’d likely start with Witt Pitt Room. It’s my favorite BBQ spot because the food is always fantastic and the prices are great comparatively. I’d set the tone on the first day with a meal at Witt Pitt consisting of some thoroughly healthy brisket and then we’d visit the Menil Collection and Rothko Chapel.

The Menil is a fantastic place with great artworks in its permanent collection that are rotated regularly. I’d never seen an Alice Neal piece in person before last weekend and they had one of her portraits up in the main area. The Rothko Chapel is a beautiful and unique space I recommend anyone visit it when in town.

Other days would include visiting The Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH), and you’d need most of a day to see everything especially if there is a great temporary exhibit on display. I had family visiting a few weeks ago and we caught the Matisse and Derain show there which was great. Wanna Bao is a must-stop for Schezuan Chinese food for lunch.

Many of my friends are artists and, on a Thursday, I might stop by Art League Houston and catch a live figure drawing session with them. It would be fun to sit down in a studio there and make some figure drawings since it’s been years since I’ve done so. Another option might be to check out the Sawyer Art Yards when there are open studios. Meeting other artists in their studios and talking about their work is fun.

If the weather is nice, another day would likely involve visiting the Brazos Bend State Park. It’s a pretty place and a nice way to get some light exercise in on an afternoon. It’s also fun to show some of my friends and family back in California some alligators. On one occasion, we saw one that was easily 7 feet as we looked down below it from a fishing post.

On the final day, a great sushi spot like Handies Duozo or Kata Robata would be a nice restaurant to take them to.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife Lily. She’s the most important person in my world and I am grateful to have married my best friend. She’s an incredibly talented artist and designer. We met in Art school and fell in love while on a study-abroad trip in London. Every day, we have great conversations about the big questions about life, spirituality, art, and everything under the sun. She gives me valuable feedback on my work, inspires me to grow, and pushes me to become better. Any achievements of mine are primarily attributable to her and are derived from my wanting to be the best version of myself for my family. We have a wonderful daughter who is almost four years old and who will surely become an artist herself.

I’ve also had the great fortune of meeting many wonderful people on this journey. I’ve had incredible teachers whose words I still hear in the back of my mind when I paint occasionally. There are many many people to whom I am grateful to know and who have helped me, loved me, and shaped me into the person I am. My late grandparents, Trudy and George, were wonderful people. They asked me to live with them while I was studying in college. It was a great experience to get to know them and become even closer. I appreciate the time that we spent together and their belief in me. My parents have also always been supportive of my dreams.

To think about all this it is quite overwhelming and humbling.

Website: https://www.zachkmendoza.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachkmendoza/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zachkmendozastudio/

Other: https://painterspaint.substack.com/