Austin’s upcoming new and exciting artist – Rocio

Saturday, May 1st 2021 by Jess Mountford

At Awesome Merchandise, we work with incredibly talented artists from all over the world, we’re super lucky to be able to do this and be trusted to produce some amazing work. We like to catch up with our artists from time to time, and we’re going to be introducing you to so many more in the upcoming months.

This month we wanted to introduce you to Rocio! She’s an artist who is based in Austin, Texas where she has been working on a number of different projects over the past year. She’s all about spreading positivity, fun and colour throughout her work.

We asked Rocio a number of questions to find out a little bit more about her and what inspired her to start her own creative journey. So let’s get into the interview!

Where are you from?

Venezuela! I’ve been in the US for 16 years and I am currently based in Austin, Texas.

What’s your background?

I’ve been painting my whole life, mainly as a hobby. In 2016 I set out for almost 18 months traveling to India, Cambodia and then living in Mexico City. I was painting and taking photos and getting to do so many creative things, before moving to Austin (for my other business).

What inspired you to start your own business & when did you start it?

When the pandemic hit last year and through spending more time at home, I decided to commit to creating on a more full time basis. Everything seemed so uncertain and so I found concentrating on something positive and rewarding was the way to go for me to get through it. After I had spent several months creating, I launched my Etsy store in August 2020 in the middle of the pandemic! If not now, when?!

What did you do before?

I have a commercial cleaning company that runs in Arizona and Texas. I’ve been running that for around 8 years and it’s still going strong!

How have you developed your own style and what would you say it was?

I don’t like to put myself in any category, I like vibrant colours & try to go with the flow. Working digitally has been new for me over the last 18 months, so I’ve been working on building my skills and techniques in different areas… But my main and favourite thing is painting!

What is your favourite project that you’ve worked on so far?

Probably the Mural at Awesome Merch! It was my first big scale piece and it was really exciting.

How do you plan out projects?

I tend to find something that inspires or interests me, it could be visual or a theme or feelings. Based on that, I’ll plan out 2 or 3 designs or ideas and then start working on them. I try to capture what I’m working on and then how it might be turned into content that could be useful, inspiring and interesting for others. I am a forever work in progress! Haha.

How have you found this year in terms of creativity?

Weirdly inspiring in a lot of ways. It’s obviously been difficult for everyone, including me. It’s made me feel like I don’t want to waste anymore time not being as creative as I’d like to be. And due to the struggle of the pandemic, I’ve been trying to maximise the joy in each day by working on creative projects.

If you could work with anyone, or work anywhere in the world, where would it be?

To be honest, right now I’m just excited to create opportunities to paint and get out in the world a little bit. I’m looking forward to getting out and painting some murals, hopefully in a bunch of different places (maybe London or Leeds!).

And finally, what is Awesome to you?

When people are kind! My three frenchies, my husband and my family!