Mel Vera Cruz was born in 1964 in the Philippines. He had 2 major migrations. First from the province of Quezon to the city of Manila then from Manila to the San Francisco bay area. He spent his early years as a country boy where nature was his playground. He was a victim of discrimination early in life because of his provincial backround. Just as he was beginning to adjust to the city life, he migrated to the US where he was labeled as 'fresh off the boat' or FOB. Mel had one advantage. He used art effectively as a weapon to confront his disadvantages.

Vera Cruz graduated with a BFA at the University of Santo Tomas. He founded an art group during his years as art director in an advertising agency where they held numerous group shows all over Manila. He had his first solo exhibit back in 1999 in a friend's gallery where he almost sold all his paintings.

He had a 2 part solo exhibit at the Movida lounge (SF) in 2003 and curated and exhibited in the 2005 Filipino Fiesta held at the San Francisco Yerba Buena Gardens. Mel continues to exhibit and organize art shows all over San Francisco and Manila. His latest endeavor was illustrating flashes and learning the art of tattooing.