Award-winning artist Mario Perez was born to poor parents in Havana. But even growing up as a poor child in Cuba, with two parents who could never afford art supplies, Mario found a way to create art, using any scrap of paper or pencil nub he could find. After escaping poverty and moving to the United States when he was just 13 years old, Mario put himself through college, studying aeronautical engineering and computer programming. Though he married, had children, and worked various jobs in the science and IT fields, Mario's life passion - creating art - never waned. Mario's ability to create art can be described in two words: self taught. Although he has attended several art workshops, his creative leanings were largely developed without formal training, much like the artists he admires.

When it comes to artwork, Mario uses a variety of mediums: watercolor, oil, charcoal, acrylic, pastels, and pen and ink. His human subjects come from all walks of life, but he loves creating artwork of urban landscapes the most.

Though he fled Havana at an early age, a large part of his work reflects the feelings and experiences of his early childhood. His "Cuban Collection" displays nostalgic memories of the Cuba he fondly remembers.

His finished work is meant to invoke a sensation of "being there", whether it be in the shadowed corridors of Old Town Havana or the cobblestoned streets of Paris.