Meet Ximena Rendon | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ximena Rendon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ximena, why did you pursue a creative career?
I found art to be the perfect coping mechanism. I was very shy and anxious child and unfortunately for me, in school we were constantly made to participate in plays, and events that required some type of performance. At first, I would pretend to be deathly sick the night before the event. Most of the time my mother would let me stay home from school, but the fear of my little scheme not working was incredibly stressful. Eventually, I would volunteer to help with anything that kept me off the stage. I was frequently painting backgrounds or making things. I found I really enjoyed this, and it had the added bonus of not having to be anxious all the time!
I always knew I would end up doing something in the arts. I never felt I’d fit anywhere else.
My parents encouraged me to be practical so I tried studying fashion design and later culinary arts, but neither suited me. After a few fits and starts, I got serious about getting and education in art. I moved to San Francisco and got a BFA in drawing and painting from the Academy of Art. Once that was over, I doubled down with an MFA so that there’d be no quitting!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I found art to be the perfect coping mechanism. I was very shy and anxious child and unfortunately for me, in school we were constantly made to participate in plays, and events that required some type of performance. At first, I would pretend to be deathly sick the night before the event. Most of the time my mother would let me stay home from school, but the fear of my little scheme not working was highly stressful.
Eventually, I would volunteer to help with anything that kept me off the stage. I was frequently painting backgrounds or making things. I found I really enjoyed this and it had the added bonus of not having to be anxious all the time!
I always knew I would end up doing something in the arts. I never felt I’d fit anywhere else.
My parents encouraged me to be practical so I tried studying fashion design and later culinary arts, but neither suited me. After a few fits and starts, I got serious about getting and education in art. I moved to San Francisco and got a BFA in drawing and painting from the Academy of Art. Once that was over, I doubled down with an MFA so that there’d be no quitting!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Craig Nelson, who was my teacher at the Academy of Art. He is a fantastic teacher and the director of the Painting department. I’m deeply grateful to him because he helped me access a scholarship when a crisis in my family made it impossible to continue paying full tuition. Thankfully, with his help and my good grades, I was eligible for a scholarship and was able to finish my MFA. Without it I would have had to return to Mexico without completing my degree. If you’re on a student visa in the US, you are required to take a full course load and you are not eligible to work legally. The other person I’d like to shoutout is Julie McCray, who is the kindest person and most wonderful gallery owner. I had the great fortune to work alongside her at SHOH gallery and I learned so much from her. Not only in matters of art and the inner workings of a gallery, but as a person too. She is kind, generous and very supportive of women artists and her community as a whole. SHOH gallery is always creating space for women artists, artists of color, and focuses on artists within the Bay Area community.

Website: www.ximenarendon.com

Instagram: ximenarendon

Facebook: Ximena Rendon Artist

Image Credits
Image Credits for portrait of me painting; Steph Gray IG: xofinn all other images are painted and photographed by me.