Mesches moved to Los Angeles in 1943 on a scholarship at the Art Center School.
He was inspired to create works during the Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy era of the 1950s.
"[3] Mesches has explored contemporary social and historical issues, informed by world history and his life during the Depression, which also reflect his art.
In 1970 he began an affair with Jill Ciment, his seventeen-year-old student, and thirty years his junior.
The two moved in together the following year, married after his divorce finalized, and remained so until his death at age 93.