Mezerahyah

Year of birth: 12/17/1993.
Where do you live: Baltimore, Maryland.
Describe your art in three words: Spiritual Prophetic Art.
Your discipline: Painting, Oil and Acrylic.
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Your artistic journey began relatively recently, at the age of 25. Can you share what initially inspired you to start drawing and later painting?

I started drawing because I felt like I never accomplished any outwardly expressed gift that was tangible. I taught myself almost everyday after 25 because I was determined to prove to myself that anything is possible. And I proved myself right. Going from drawing to painting showed in my art journey that are levels to this. I always thought that I would only be drawing because painting seemed too complex but drawing seemed too complex and I still conquered it. It’s a constant reminder that we should always challenge ourselves.

You’ve described your work as “conceptual portraiture” with spiritual and biblical inspiration. How do these themes influence the way you approach each new piece?

I tend to enjoy putting my own twist on pieces I create. A lot of people may think of ancient or religious style paintings which may seem like a more literal approach. Since the God I believe in spoke in parables, so do my paintings. We have to remind ourselves that no matter how ancient our beliefs are, we still live in a modern world and we can use it to our advantage to speak to the people currently here on earth.

Mezerahyah | I See The Future

Many of your paintings are described as having spiritual connotations and symbolism. Could you elaborate on how you incorporate these elements into your work?

Well, I am a vivid dreamer quite literally so my perspective and perception of the world may be taboo or sometimes entertaining depending on how you perceive it. I also consider my art prophetic. The process involves picking a topic that I typically resonate in my world and whoever is considered to be in a photoshoot for that painting most likely is a message for that model. Then finally, I find a scripture that connects with that painting, usually positive ones that speaks life into that person. Then you have other times where I will create a painting without any knowledge of a person’s situation and the painting will be “speaking” specifically to them. An example of that is my piece called “Two Can Play That Game”.

“Freedom Cry,” your first large-scale painting, has significant dimensions. What motivated you to take on such an ambitious project so early in your painting career?

Since I was young, I told myself if I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it big and I’m going to do it right. It probably came from me trying so hard to be a perfectionist. However, once I let that perfectionism go, it came naturally. You have to understand that I was completely shocked when I realized I could accomplish something so massive. That’s why I wholeheartedly believe that everything has a spiritual backing. I had the understanding that if I can teach myself how to draw then I can learn how to paint.

Mezerahyah | A Man of Many

Your art often seems to be “coincidentally” connected to the model’s life. Can you talk about a specific instance where this connection was particularly striking?

In my piece, Two Can Play That Game, you can see the words “Cafe Lorenzo”. There is a male and female figure in the drawing “fighting” each other in a spiritual way. First, I thought of that name Lorenzo for no reason, it seemed like. A couple days later, I told myself that I wanted to name my car Lorenzo, forgetting that I had come up with the name on the painting. A few days later I leave my studio, I reverse my car and I run into another car that belongs to a person that has a studio in the same building as me. Because I didn’t want to have a guilty conscience, I decided to go back in the building and knock on the door, to whom I believed the car belonged to. Lo and behold, I was correct and it was the person whose studio was right next to mine. His name is Lorenzo and I would always hear him and his lady going at it. I can’t make this up. They were cool people though.

Mezerahyah | Two Can Play That Game

You mentioned that you were unaware of your artistic abilities until you began creating art. How has this discovery impacted your view of yourself and your creative potential?

I had complete doubt and unbelief in my mind about all of my ability to create.  So, the minute I was clearly able to do anything remotely artistic, it sparked something in me so great that I even made a song called Say I. In this song, I’m basically proclaiming that we can do anything because i truly believe it and I’ve experienced it myself. When you go from thinking you’re not able to do anything to in fact doing everything you wanted to do, you start to feel insanely powerful but the power is not rooted in myself.  

Mezerahyah | Thug Purity

Given your fast learning pace, what advice would you give to aspiring artists who may feel discouraged by the time it takes to develop their skills?

I would say to them they can do anything. We all know how cliche that sounds but it’s true. Getting closer to God and controlling my sexual energy was my formula. There is something called transmutation,where instead of releasing sexual energy, you keep it in and let it pour into what you’re creating or doing.  A lot of people are probably looking for direct answers that have to do with art but usually, it’s the troubles within  that are blocking us.