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The Colors of Miami Through the Eyes of Alexander Mijares
Last week I had the opportunity to interview Alexander Mijares at his art filled, studio loft. While I have been a fan of his work for years and I thought I knew some things about him, I was amazed to find out how this Miami born and raised artist actually started on his journey.
While most artists seem to struggle for years attempting to sells pieces, that wasn’t the case for him. I asked him what inspired him to start painting and was shocked with his answer. Mijares said that he started painting five years ago, “Basically what happened was I needed a piece of art for my wall and I couldn’t afford it so I went to the store and bought a bunch of supplies and just began painting.”
Actually there was a little more to the story which he also shared with us later. He says that when he took the painting to a friend to get it framed the friend asked if he had a difficult time painting on the canvas, to which he admitted that he had. His friend told him that was because he had painted on the wrong side of the canvas. In fact he says it’s still one of his favorite paintings and still part of his private collection.
A humbling lesson but one Mijares took in stride as it seems with everything he does. Mijares father has a metal fabrication business and while working there he got his Masters in Business Administration from Florida International University. His life could have gone a totally different direction.
He says at one point he had a friend that worked at an interior design store reach out to him and they wanted to do a show with his art. After the first show all twenty of his pieces had sold out. “It was still kind of like surreal” he says, “I started seeing a big buzz like increase and then I realized that people liked my work and there’s something here and so you know I kept pushing and pushing and trying to paint literally every single day and just trying to find a style and keep evolving it and that’s where we are today.” Show after show, sell out after sell out, there is no denying he has talent.
Mijares art is not only on canvas. He will paint on basically anything that moves his soul. Surfboards, ladders, cars, purses, walls in the neighborhoods of Wynwood and other cities around the world, need I go on? He has now turned his talents to children and philanthropic causes both locally and around the world. He travels around the world teaching kids to paint, and providing clean drinking water.
Mijares work is very bright, vibrant and colorful, almost as if you’re looking through stained glass windows of a church. He says he’s a happy guy and likes to cause an emotion that brings joy to people. At first some of his paintings may seem very abstract but upon closer inspection you will see people, instruments, faces, and movement. He wants people to feel like they want to ‘dance with the paintings’.
Don’t take my word for it, check any of his social media sites and be blown away for yourself!