LIA
MENDEZ

As a child and then during my youth, I had the dream of being a painter; I grew up under the inspiration of my grandfather who since then became my mentor and teacher.

When I graduated from high school I wanted to study art and paint, however, career development opportunities in this field in Panama were scarce, so I chose architecture.

In my journey through architecture, I constantly looked for all the knowledge that I found related to my passion: drawing, architectural expression and composition, art history and architecture theory. I worked for more than 20 years on issues related to the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage.

Family circumstances led me to live in Washington and New York (2015-2018). This new life experience allowed me to dedicate time and effort to do what I love, paint. In New York I attended various watercolor and Asian paintbrushes courses at educational institutions in Westchester County.

In June 2019, I participated as a Selected Artist in the 3rd Genoa Art Biennial, curated by Mario Napoli and organized by Satura Gallery. In November 2019 one of my watercolors was selected at the 2nd Watercolor Biennial of Kosovo, organized by the International Watercolor Society of Kosovo, held at the National Museum of Kosovo, Pristina.

In August 2019 I made my first individual exhibition in the Manuel Amador gallery of the University of Panama with a sample of 78 watercolors, executed in the last four years.