Welcome to the depths of my creative world - a place where I explore ideas, materials, color, pattern, and the questions that continue to pull me forward.
Mercedes Austin Art has been a constant thread throughout my life. Long before Mercury Mosaics became a nationally recognized handmade tile company, I was simply an artist trying to understand what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it.
DUSTY SUNSTONE VISTA - in progress
One of the greatest gifts of my life has been retaining a relentless sense of curiosity. That curiosity has taken me through the creation of Mercury Mosaics, collaborations with other artists, meaningful relationships, heartbreak, reconciliation, travel, architecture, culture, and countless creative experiments.
Through it all, I found my voice.
Today, my work continues to explore the intersection of craftsmanship, transformation, resilience, and beauty. I am drawn to the idea that materials, and people, can be reimagined, rebuilt, and given new purpose.
The fact that I am able to use my hands, my mind, my heart and my work ethic in service of an artistic practice is something I never take for granted. Growing up surrounded by makers, artists, and craftspeople taught me the value of creating, but life has also taught me how easy it can be to lose touch with the things that matter most.
What I've learned over the years is simple: always return to what is calling you.
The rewards rarely arrive in the form we expect. More often, they appear as purpose, connection, growth, and a deeper understanding of ourselves. Creative work has carried me through seasons of uncertainty, change, and reinvention. It has reminded me who I am when life becomes noisy.
This website is a home for that exploration. A place to share the work, the stories, and the ongoing journey of becoming.
GRIT - in progress
This website represents more than the launch of a new platform. It is a reminder that I never stopped being an artist.
More than two decades ago, I set out with a simple goal: to make mosaic art for a living. At the time, my mosaics were composed of glass, stone, ceramic and porcelain tile. What I discovered along the way was that the work I was most drawn to incorporated handmade tile. The variation, texture, movement, and depth brought something to the mosaics that I couldn't find elsewhere.
Eventually, I became so committed to the material that I decided to make my own.
What seemed like a creative solution turned into an entirely different adventure. In the process of supporting my artistic practice, I accidentally built a handmade tile company. That company became Mercury Mosaics.
Building Mercury challenged me in ways I never anticipated. It taught me how to solve complex problems, design systems, lead teams, navigate uncertainty, and bring ideas to life at scale. Over time, I realized that creativity isn't limited to the studio. It also exists in building businesses, shaping culture, and creating something meaningful from nothing.
The artist and the entrepreneur have never been separate parts of me. They have always informed one another.
Today, Mercedes Austin Art is where those worlds come together. It is a place for exploration, experimentation, craftsmanship, and continued growth. A place to follow curiosity wherever it leads next.
COLLISION STUDY NO. 1 - detail
My art practice continues to evolve, but one thing remains constant: I am endlessly fascinated by the conversation between materials.
I am drawn to unexpected combinations: the tension between powder-coated steel and handmade tile, matte and glossy surfaces, precision and imperfection. Layering materials, textures, and dimensions allows me to build visual stories that reveal themselves slowly over time.
What surprises me most at this stage of life is how much I've fallen in love with the process itself.
The ritual of preparing a workspace, selecting materials, arranging pieces, and watching an idea emerge has become a destination of its own. Each piece takes me somewhere new. The studio is one of few places where I can lose track of time entirely.
Over the years, I've let go of many of the expectations I once carried as an artist. I spend less time worrying about outcomes, how a piece will be received, or where it will ultimately end up. In releasing that pressure, I've found something far more valuable: freedom.
Freedom to experiment.
Freedom to follow curiosity.
Freedom to trust the process.
The work often gives something back to me long before it ever leaves the studio. That exchange: the discovery, the problem-solving, the quiet moments of clarity... is one of the reasons I continue to return to making art.
STILL GROWING - WHAT HOLDS SERIES - in progress
The people I've met along this journey have been one of the greatest gifts of my life.
When I look around today, I'm amazed by how many relationships have endured across decades, seasons, successes, failures, celebrations, and reinventions. Some of the people closest to me today were there near the very beginning. Others entered my life later and became equally important. Each connection has shaped who I am.
I've also learned to appreciate the relationships that naturally evolved, changed, or came to an end. Some people have passed on. Others simply followed a different path. Both have taught me something valuable. Life is constantly inviting us to let go, grow, and begin again.
If there is one lesson I continue to return to, it is this: Handle Hard Better.
Years ago, I came across a talk by Kara Lawson where she shared a simple but profound idea. Life does not necessarily get easier. Instead, we become more capable. We become people who can handle hard better.
That perspective changed me.
The goal isn't to avoid challenges, eliminate discomfort, or find shortcuts around every obstacle. The goal is to develop the strength, resilience, wisdom, and perspective to navigate whatever comes next.
As I've grown older, I've found myself increasingly drawn to the long game. The things I admire most: meaningful relationships, craftsmanship, artistic practice, building business, health, and personal growth - are all built over time. They require patience, consistency, effort, and a willingness to keep showing up.
The longer I live, the more I believe that growth comes from not avoiding difficulty, but from learning how to meet it with courage and curiosity.
MOOD BOARD FOR MERCEDES AUSTIN ART BRANDING & MESSAGING
If there is one thing I hope people take away from my story, it is this: don't give up on what is calling you.
Staying in the game hasn't always been easy. There have been seasons of momentum and seasons of uncertainty. There have been victories worth celebrating and failures that require me to begin again. Through all of it, I've learned there is a unique kind of dignity that comes from continuing to show up.
Not because the outcome is guaranteed.
Not because the path is clear.
But because the work itself matters.
One of the greatest freedoms I've found is letting go of the need for everything to look a certain way. The more I've released the pressure of a picture-perfect outcome, the more space I've created for discovery, growth, and genuine creativity. Some of the most meaningful things in my life have emerged from paths I never could have planned.
Making time, creating the space, and protecting the energy required for creative work has become one of the greatest gifts I can give myself.
Today I believe less in perfect plans and more in persistence. Less in certainty and more in curiosity. Less in arriving and more in continuing.
The work, the relationships, the lessons, and the evolution are the reward.
Everything else is simply a bonus.
“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell
