Mercedes Dalles-Steffen (she/her) is a self-taught artist born in Madison, WI and based in Sioux Falls, SD. She primarily creates abstract art and enjoys working with acrylic, ink, oil pastel, soft pastel, and charcoal. Her workspace consists of a small studio in her unfinished basement, where she has created a comforting environment to facilitate her process of creation. When she is not working as an accountant, she is developing her creative career, spending time with her husband, pets, and family, singing karaoke, cruising in her Subaru, or planning for future adventures.She believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to live inspired and to have their own slice of the world, intentionally created and curated to serve as a place of self-expression. A place that is shamelessly pure, releases createive inhibitions, and inspires the deepest of creative desires. She also believes that everyone has a creative purpose, an imagination that adds so much value to the world and those around them. When people emotionally connect to the components in their space, they feel like they truly belong. Her paintings aim to do just that – to be an intentional component in her collector’s slice of the world that contributes to their self-expression and feeling of belonging, and inspires their deepest creative desires.