Mara Torres González is a visual artist, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, currently based in Sarasota, Florida. Mara demonstrated skill in art and design since her early childhood and started her trained artistic journey at the age of four at ‘Liga de Arte de San Juan’ where she met artist professor Betsy Padín, who became her mentor, being trascendental in her artistic formation. After graduating from high school with an Art Honor Award and being certified by PRIDA, Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of the Arts, Mara continued to acquire formal art studies at the School of Fine Arts and Design of Puerto Rico, ‘Escuela de Artes Plásticas’, where she graduated with a B.F.A. in Fine Arts and Painting. Here she studied with Artist Professors Rafael Rivera Rosa, Carlos Marcial, Luis Felipe López, Julio Suárez, Charles Juhasz, Elizam Escobar, amongst others. 

In 2001 Mara started her first design business which evolved throughout the years into one of the best event design firms in Puerto Rico. Some highlights of her 18+ year event design career include a partnership in 2017 with celebrity event designer from New York, Preston Bailey for an event where they received people from 12 countries including Malaysia, Nigeria, SriLanka, UK, Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, Uruguay, Honduras, Panama, Ecuador and USA. Mara also designed the wedding of NBA player José Juan Barea, from the Dallas Mavericks, with Miss Universe Puerto Rico Viviana Ortiz.

On September 20, 2017 Hurricane María uprooted Mara’s life, a life changing moment resulting in her and her family becoming part of the diaspora. She started documenting the aftermath of the storm, the humanitarian crisis and the resilience in every Puerto Rican. A few months later, she began working on the 209 series, which had its first exhibit on September 20, 2018, the one year anniversary of Hurricane María. Five years later on September 20, 2022, Mara published her first book, 209, and had the release and book signing event at the Sarasota Art Museum.

In 2020 she opened MARA Art Studio + Gallery in Sarasota, Florida where she collaborates with art organizations and other contemporary artists in the area. Mara Torres González’s mixed media work tells stories and explores emotions in viewers, she is passionate about using her career and work as a voice. 

Her work is currently in galleries and private collections across Puerto Rico, México, Europe, Canada and the United States.