About Bree Mercado

Artist Exploring Identity, Belonging & the Human Experience

I’m Bree Mercado, a queer mixed-media artist based in Virginia. My work explores identity, belonging, and emotional presence through painting, portraiture, and storytelling.

I’m drawn to the quiet moments—those often overlooked experiences that shape how we see ourselves and one another.

My practice is rooted in softness, honesty, and reflection, creating space for connection without needing to resolve everything.

Artist Statement

My work centers the human experience—how identity, memory, and emotion live within the body. Through abstract forms and figurative portraiture, I explore what it means to exist in spaces of in-between: visibility and invisibility, softness and resilience, intimacy and distance.

As a queer artist, my work is informed by lived experience, community, and the desire to create art that feels both personal and collective. I’m less interested in answers and more interested in presence—what happens when we allow ourselves to feel, reflect, and be seen.

Whether I’m painting a self-portrait, collaborating with someone on a story, or creating a piece rooted in abstraction, my intention remains the same: to offer work that feels honest, grounding, and open.

Ongoing Projects

The Human Experience Project is a multidisciplinary series centered on storytelling and portraiture. Each piece begins with a conversation—an interview with someone willing to share a lived experience that may offer others a new perspective.

These conversations become podcast episodes, photo sessions, and ultimately painted portraits. The project honors vulnerability, presence, and the power of being seen.

→ Explore The Human Experience Project

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The Selfie Project is an ongoing self-portrait practice paired with written reflection. Through this series, I explore identity, self-perception, and emotional growth over time.

Each painting is accompanied by a blog post, offering context and introspection behind the work.

→ Read The Selfie Project

My practice...

I work primarily in painting and mixed media, allowing intuition and emotional response to guide the process. Color, texture, and gesture become tools for expressing what words often can’t. Alongside studio work, my practice extends into storytelling and collaboration. I’m interested in how art can function as a bridge—connecting people to themselves and to one another through shared experience.This approach has shaped several ongoing projects that live at the intersection of art, reflection, and community.

Community & Connection

The Desire to Create with Others and for Others

Much of my work is shaped by community—particularly BIPOC and LGBTQ+ spaces where creativity, healing, and joy intersect. I believe art can be both a personal practice and a shared experience, offering moments of recognition and connection.

Whether through exhibitions, collaborations, or intimate studio pieces, my goal is to create work that feels accessible, thoughtful, and rooted in care.

This belief also led me to co-create Creative Dreamers Network and Vibrate DC—community-centered spaces rooted in art, movement, and collective presence. These projects extend my practice beyond the studio, reflecting a desire to build environments where people feel seen, supported, and free to express themselves.

Explore Creative Dreamers Network

Notes from the Studio

Notes from the Studio is my personal newsletter—a space where I share new work, reflections, and what’s unfolding behind the scenes. It’s a slower, more intimate way to stay connected beyond social media.

→ Join Now