Influences:

Artists: Natia Lemay, Francisco de Goya, Gustave Doré, Geoffrey Todd Smith, Jelena Berenc, Dominique Fung, Sozo Maika, Nicole Eisenman, Ai Yazawa, Yuu Watase, H.R. Geiger, H.P. Lovecraft, Juan Giminez, Allen Williams, Eric Landon, Stella Winter, Daniel Lezama, Sylvia Ji, Kehinde Wiley.

Chefs: Toshiyuki Shiramizu, Tetsuya Isogami, Douglas Alley, Beverly Kim, Yoshi Okai, Shota Nakajima, Snezhana Briukhanova, Daniel Boloud, Jun Wong, Clare Smyth, Daniel Humm, Eric Ripert, Jose Andres, Renee Redzepi, Marco Pierre White, Dominique Crenn, Anthony Bourdain.

Film: Peter Jackson, Jonathan Glazer, Darren Aronofsky, David Lynch, Bong Joon-ho, Wachowski Siblings, Sophia Stewart, Christopher Nolan, Aria Aster, Alex Garland, Jeane-Pierre Jeunet, Gaspar Noé, Luc Besson, Jason Reitman, Vince Gilligan, Bryan Elsey, Jeff Lindsay, Quentin Tarintino.

My name is Aleax Mejia. I was born and raised on the southside of Chicago. I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember. I was raised by a single mom with finite resources, but infinite taste. Her unwaivering belief in my abilities have encouraged me to sustain the dedication in the arts, well into my late twenties.

I specialize in drawing, and have made a career of it by fusing my profound love for artistic aesthetics and technical culinary skill. This has allowed me to create unique plating, help envision restaurant ambiance, and even assist in the creation of menus. Typeface and the structure of menus and signage might not be my top strengths, but I have a keen interest in them. My eyes primarily search for product design and formatting.

I do not recommend Squarespace as a website builder, for example.

About Me

As a youth I discovered the importance of food when trying to make a difference in the world by looking for sustainable choices for the Earth. I have always felt an innate sense of responsibility to those around me, and actively making choices that protect people’s health and happiness is part of my journey.

Prior to my formative years the disparity of wealth was obvious at the mere age of eight. As I navigated in the halls of my elementary school, I was surrounded by the differentiating gaze of general indifference from instructors. This disparity ultimately taught me to know the difference, inspiring me to support inclusivity in all factions. Chef Clare Smyth’s philosphy of the “Relentless pursuit of perfection” and my dedication to ethical humanism remains a source of inspiration to do what I am meant to do in this life.

After attending Northern Illinois University, I found myself working in and out of Japanese kitchens. Driven by the ongoing integration of Japanese culture in the late ‘90s, as a child I found myself significantly drawn to fashion, design aesthetics, video games, manga, and ultimately, food from Japan.

I've had a lifelong love for Japanese culture since childhood. The art, traditions, and everyday life resonate with me so deeply that I often daydream of living in Japan one day. It feels like a place where I could truly connect with my interests.

Ultimately, I aspire to develop my career by drawing illustrations for learning technical culinary skills, developing food styling and designing visual corporate identity.