The August 2012 issue of SOUTHWEST ART magazine featured Mejo Okon
in “Capturing the New West — Meet ten artists who put a contemporary twist
on western art”. She was also showcased in their “21 Over 31 Competition”
in November 2009. 

The 27th Annual Bosque Art Classic accepted three of her paintings, two 
of which were used to nationally advertise the show in ART of THE WEST and
WESTERN ART COLLECTOR magazines. 

Mejo’s studio deep in the heart of San Angelo’s Chicken Farm Art Center looks

like the home of a West Texas artist. The walls are covered in paintings

of cowboys and their horses, prize cattle, and agave cactus. A Texas ranch

spills down a cliff side in blocks of color.

Despite the evidence, Okon is not from West Texas. The Indiana native made her way

to San Angelo in 2006, pursuing careers along the way that ranged from

advertising and illustration to costume manager for traveling Broadway shows,

from graphic designer to NBC courtroom sketch artist. “There was always that

little inner voice that said, ‘Paint. Run away and paint,’” Okon said. “I ran away

a couple of times — I’ve lived in Alaska, South Carolina, Michigan, New York City.

Now I am finally painting.”          

Mejo is fond of repeating what natives from the Lone Star State often say:

“There are two Texases: Texas and West Texas.” She moved straight into the heart

of ranching country. Since settling in San Angelo, she has found endless inspiration

in cowboys, ranches and the landscape. But then again, she has always loved horses

and animals. “I grew up when cowboys were popular on television. I have worn

cowboys boots since I was three. A little pair sits on my shelf next to my old cap guns.”

When it comes to style of work, Okon is a self-described colorist. “I really like to capture

my images when the sun begins to set. I am drawn to the extreme shadows, colors

and contrasts.” Okon considers her work to follow a contemporary western theme. 

A graduate of Herron School of Art and Design at Indiana University in Indiana, Mejo

worked as a graphic designer and a courtroom sketch artist. In 2011 she covered

of the trial of polygamist Warren Jeffs. Her work has also been published in

Society of Illustrators: Illustrators 18 and 200 Years of American Illustration. 

She is an Associate Member of Women Artists of the West (WAOW), American Women Artists (AWA). an Associate Member of Oil Painters of America (OPA), American Plains Artists (APA), American Society of Bovine Artists, a Signature Western Trail Art Association, and Colored Pencil Society of America.

education:  Bachelor of Fine Arts from Herron School of Art and Design, 

                  Indiana University 

     studio:  Chicken Farm Art Center, 2505 Martin Luther King Blvd. 

   contact:   325.227.3173  

      email:   mejokon@hotmail.com