Mercedes Helnwein was born in Vienna, Austria, daughter to painter and art provocateur Gottfried Helnwein. She grew up dedicating her time equally to visual arts and literature. At thirteen-years-old, she published a two-page comic for a German woman's-lib magazine. She spent her teenage years drawing and writing in Ireland where she relocated with her family. Later, she moved to Los Angeles where she officially began her career by contributing to a group show hosted by Jason Lee. Despite her success as a visual artist, Helwein continued to write and published her novel in 2008, "The Potential Hazards of Hester Day." Helwein currently lives and works in Los Angeles and Ireland, practicing in a wide range of mediums including oil pastels, paint, graphite, film, and continues writing.
