Special Edition: Women Rule Web3 – NFT Artist Mercedes deBellard

down for you through interviews with incredible leaders, experts, and artists. Today, I'm speaking with Mercedes de Ballard. She's a digital illustrator based in Spain. Renowned for her expressive portraiture. Mercedes specializes in beautifully crafted illustrations filled with vibrant colors that have really come to define her personal style. I sat down with Mercedes to talk about her latest work. Here's what she has to say. Well, Mercedes, thanks so much for

joining us. Hello, thank you, thank you very much for inviting me. So we are really excited about the piece that you've contributed. The two pieces you've contributed to The Seneca Woman a quality collection and I can't wait to talk about them. But I want to begin by asking you a little bit about your background. You know, where are you from and when did you realize you were

an artist? Well, I'm from Spain. I'm struct me from the soap of Spain, from a little town, and I used to be fine art when I was in university. And from that I think I knew I was to be an illustrator or an artist. And when did you start getting into an fts? I know these were like yeah, maybe last year and I was like, wow, this is so big and different from I'm doing from this year.

So so I started to create my first NFT and since now I'm here, Wow, Well, your artwork is just incredible and the human face predominates in your work and your images are extremely alive and engaging. How would you describe your style and what are you trying to achieve

with these images? I think I would say it's quite realistic, like I think it's obvious, but at the same time, I like to mix h this portrait with some elements that makes me maybe they image like more dreamlike elements, like some some plans, something r natural to make like a medical portrait. It's not just like the reality. I like to add more things to them as though. I love to you saturate colors that are great, like a strong constist, and I think they give strength to the

today image. I love to think that they never leave you indifferent. I know if I kind of explain myself very well. Yes, And not only can you explain yourself well, but I think you've achieved your goal because your art is magical, so you do achieve that magic and that dreamlike state, and you it is very difficult to leave indifferent. So I feel like you've It's really interesting to hear that that's your goal, because that is the effect it's

had on me. You've done a serious of portraits called Legends. Who are some of the women in them? And why did you pick them? Yeah? I Drew, Patty Smithson and Gwenhouse and I drove them because, first of all, because I love their music but me too, But it's also because I think that they were and they are great woman and great artists too, who made their own way in the world of the music that I think it's very difficult because almost there is a man world. It's

difficult for a woman to tune in this world. But they make that very well and in different very of all the history, so I think the three of them was very would econ for the diployants, Yeah, no, you picked amazing women. I love their work as well. We'll be back after this break. And so you started getting into NFTs. Obviously your a portrait artist, as a woman and as an artist. What have you found the benefits

of being in the NFT world. I think I will say that the most important is that you can create your own words without any briefing at any direction, and you can work with total freedom. So that's quite liberating for any artist. I think so. But because most of the time and all the DS I've been working like an illustrato, I always have directions and very briefings, very very tight, so you can never work like with your total freedoms. So this is a great space to feel

like you can work or whatever you want. So that's very good for an artist. Did you find a big change in your career when you started getting into digital art? Oh? I think so. For me, it's very recently because I have been an illustrator for almost ten years ago, so this is like a big change, and I think it's different, of course, and I'm feeling now this, you know, this change. Yeah,

I mean it must be pretty amazing too. We've we've actually interviewed a few other the other artists for the collection, and you know, it's a pretty radical change in one's life to be able to distribute globally, to not have a middleman, as you said before, to have the creativity and the space to do what you want. So I'm

sure it's pretty liberating and also just very different. Yes, exactly. Yes, So for the collection, you really surprised us when we saw the portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, one of my personal idols, which I'll tell you about in a minute, But tell us what you wanted to convey and why you chose RBG and what you were trying to convey

with that image. I'm first of all, I want to say that I'm very happy because I was little thread because I was I wasn't sure if you guys will coppy with this, but I always want to draw the roof, and I felt like that is the perfect occasion to draw her because obviously I think this is a very important eco in the woman's movement, right, so I thought

she's perfect for this projects to illustrate equalities. So I think Okay, I'm going to draw her, and also as I want to do my little tribute to her for all her aptivements, and I think I thought, okay, I

have to draw her. Well, it's so personal to us because we had Seneca women for many years have been working with different women on the Supreme Court, Justice O'Connor, Justice so of Mayor, and in fact Justice Ginsburg, and about five or six years ago we had done a tribute to Justice O'Connor, and because Justice Ginsburg was the most senior female member of the Court, we had all the four women Supreme Court justices together at that time, which was they'd only been together a few times in

their entire tenure. And Justice Ginsburg gave the speech, and then afterwards she wrote me a note which is one of my prize possessions, which basically said, you know, there are a few moments in your life that exceed your expectations, and your tribute to Justice O'Connor exceeded mine. And I literally wanted to put it under my pillow and sleep on it every night. So when I saw your RBG image, I really couldn't believe it. It really it brings everything

full circle. So thank you for that. Now, speaking of circles, you also did an open addition for Seneca Women another image, another beautiful portrait. Maybe you want to describe it, but why did you choose this image of hands and the wreath for the Seneca Women open edition item to create another image that it wasn't a purchased So I have these images in my head like a few hands two can something that it forms a cycle and like for me, it means like we need each other to build the

future we want. So it's more like the unity between all of all of us and that we need each other to create what we want. Yeah, that's I want to create something beautiful and something that I don't know if it's worked very well. It really does convey this feeling of women supporting women and the feeling of unity.

I think you really achieved it, and we're so excited because that at Peace we're going to make available to anybody who wants to be part of the Seneca Women community, and we're going to donate the proceeds of that of the net proceeds of that piece to support women in

the Ukraine who really need our support right now. And so I think your piece really illustrates what it means for women to support other women and this unity that could really change the trajectory of our future if women could really continue to help each other in the ways that we know we can. So thank you so much for that. I think people are going to just love to be part of that collective. You're welcomely, what's up

place for me? So well? This has been amazing to have you part of the collection is truly an honor. We have six incredible women artists and our listeners can check it out at senecawomen dot com. These pieces will be dropping on April twenty fifth at six thirty on nifty Gateway, so come join us for one hour. We will have the ability to participate and to buy this incredible work. So Mercedes, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you to you Kim for inviting me. And it

was really a place or for me. I love talking with Mercedes. Her work is truly magical and we're so delighted with the Seneca Women Open Edition piece that she's created. Go to Seneca Women dot com to see her work and the other amazing artists in the Seneca Women Equality Collection and join us next time for Another Women Rule

Web three Conversation. Have a great day. You're listening to Seneca Women Conversations on power and purpose, brought to you by the Seneca Women Podcast Network and iHeartRadio with support from founding partner of P and G. If you'd like to join the Seneca Women Network, go to Seneca Women dot com. There you'll get access to exclusive events and workshops, plus updates on new podcasts and other opportunities to get involved.