Artist Bio

Meela Maleficent Palomx grew up on the Southwest side of Chicago. Always inclining towards the arts, at 12 years young she won an art scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago, Summer Youth Program. She attended El Hogar Del Nino, Davis Public school, and Kanoon Magnet School. While in grammar school she was introduced to the graffiti by a classmate Jesus “3J” Elizondo. During her high school years and as an alternative to gang affiliation, graffiti became an artistic outlet. Her parents transferred her from Kennedy High School to St. Barbara and later, Maria High School, in an all-girls parochial environment she focused on art, athletics, singing in an alternative rock band “Gods Last Name”, and began working as a Lifeguard for Chicago Park District. While at Maria HS she developed her artistic aptitude with her most influential art teachers Mrs. Maureen Mares and Mrs. Kelly Parra-Banos.

After attending Freshmen year at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and not being accepted to its 30 student Graphic Design program, she completed her Bachelors of Fine Art Degree from Columbia College in Chicago. She kept in touch with her Chicago women artists forming the first all female graffiti crew in Chicago, Females Can Too #FCT with Delilah “Zena” Salgado and collaborative projects with the SYNERGY Hip Hop collective crew. She was selected as a Creative Intern to Y&R Chicago through the Chicago Advertising Federation, Partnership for Success Summer Internship Program. She continued her Graphic Design career working in various ad agencies throughout Chicagoland.

After the birth of her son in 2008, Meela transformed out of necessity to find herself personally and change the focus of her life to a positive journey. In 2009, to evolve her career with technology and learn about the industry of marketing design, she enrolled in an online course to complete an Internet Marketing Masters of Science Degree from Full Sail University.

Going through years of counseling therapy she strives to live a healthy, positive life, and provide the best environment for her son while making time for her self-care. She parents her son with love and lives her life by example. She brings him to art shows and they frequent Chicago festivals and the Chicago lakefront. As a toddler, he would cheer for her on the sidelines of the Chicago Sprint Triathlon and many of Chicago’s 3K or 5K fun races. They now participate together in the fun races throughout Chicago, including Bike-The-Drive, and Carrera de Los Muertos in Pilsen.

In 2014 Meela was awarded the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Individual Artist Program Grant. She attended the Adobe Creative Expo in Los Angeles, started working for Walgreens, and invested in a new computer. She started her Etsy Shop, and rented an art studio space at Bridgeport Art Center.

During 2016-2018 Meela worked for Fulton Street Collective at the Paulina annex location as the Communications Manager. She hosted and curated FSC collective art shows and participated in local Chicago art vendor markets promoting her “Chingona” brand merchandise, selling her artwork, and reselling niche market items on her Depop online store, @Meela312.

Through her art and life story she hopes to promote a positive lifestyle, especially to young women and all people who may not come from privileged backgrounds or stable families, to pursue their dreams and learn to appreciate life’s journey and live in the moment.

Her career mission is to own and manager a creative art studio, House of Chingonx to make and promote work that inspires positivity, inclusivity, empathy, and mentor artists towards entrepreneurship to market their products or service – ethically and fiscally.

Meela lives everywhere her budget can afford. She has stayed in Pilsen, Chicago, as a single mom since 2009. She continues to create personal artwork, and promote her Chicago Chingona brand. Connect and introduce yourself with her on your favorite social media channels. She’s interested in projects that focus on community building initiatives. #AskMeela

Last updated April 12, 2021