STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — If you’ve ever spotted a storefront on Staten Island decked out with bright, cartoon-like characters and lettering with a sticker-like finish, chances are it was hand-painted by Mish.
The self-taught Staten Island artist behind Paint by Mish never set out to become a full-time artist. Though she was always interested in the arts growing up, she became a mother at 21, enrolled in court reporting school while pregnant with her second daughter, and worked a string of jobs to support her family as a single mother.
Between 2012 and 2014, Mish experienced a series of devastating losses that shifted her priorities and career path. In 2012, her grandmother and aunt were killed in a car crash. The following year, a close friend — someone she considered like a brother — died by suicide. Then in 2014, her father died of a rare disease…