Local artist Sandee Smith is currently on display inside of the Coffee Bandits Coffee Shop as well as the Merced Arts Center’s Dia De Los Muertos show. Working with canvas and acrylic or oil paints, Smith has been drawn to the arts since the young age of 2 when she began drawing. Throughout her teenage years, Smith found herself designing tattoos for friends, before returning to a canvas and paints in her later years. Pulling from comic books, fantasy art, horror movies, Gothic themes and music from bands like the Misfits, Danzig, and Disturbed over the years, Smith often finds herself creating art that has a distinct Goth and Metal or Punk Music theme to it. In addition to her artwork, Smith has also worked with community members of the years as an instructor to help other get in touch with their creative side. In particular, Smith explained that she not only finds this type of work rewarding, but it also serves as a type inspiration for her creative side and pushes her to continue creating and pushing her own work to new levels. When asked what she strives for her artwork to communicate to those who view her work, Smith stated that she hopes that her painting serve as a similar inspiration for others to be as creative as they can with their own work. In addition, she noted that those looking to create shouldn’t hesitate to do so or otherwise let anything stop them, and that art doesn’t always need to have a stict purpose or goal. “Art can be fun and not so structured” Smith said.