Angela Barbi came to us LIVE from Spain on Friday, March 11th via Zoom to share insights on her watercolor techniques.

Here’s a quick Q&A with Angela:

Why do you make art? 
For pure enjoyment, to have pleasure and to express freely what I feel. It’s a connection with my deeper self and a sensual pleasure of using colour.  Art makes me become whole, integrated, a unity within myself and with the rest of the work.

How long have you been painting? 
For about 28 years.

Did you have formal art training?  
I have always been drawing since a very young age, but only attended an art school as an adult. I trained in art therapy for about 10 years at Rudolf Steiner’s Antroposophy and Art Therapy school in Barcelona, following Goethe’s theory of colour. Then I did more training in classical drawing and later attended some master classes by modern masters.

Have you had a mentor?  
Yes, my Anthroposophy teacher for about 15 years.

Are you a working artist or a hobbyist? 
Painting is my hobby. I am not a professional artist, but I work with professional artists in the painting holiday excursions that I organize.

What inspires you?
Nature is my main source of inspiration, or people as well. And also my mood or feeling. As for painters who inspire me, I would say all the French impressionists, Van Gogh, Kandinsky, Chagall, Picasso, Miró.

Do you paint every day?
I would love to, but I don’t – just a few days per week.

Do you paint one piece at a time or work on several at once?
I can do several preliminary sketches or warm-up exercises at the same time, but when I paint the definitive version, it’s only one painting at a time.

Do you create a concept piece first? 
I sometimes do several concept pieces until I get to the right way to express what I want. And then I develop it further on the bigger piece, which is sometimes totally different again. I like to move with the flow of the painting itself and let myself be guided by it.

What kind of music do you listen to while painting? 
Many kinds of music, especially the type that helps me connect with my soul, like jazz, Bossa Nova (MPB), Mantras, songwriters.

Do you prefer painting in studio or en plein air? 
I love plein air painting in a gorgeous surrounding, but find it difficult from a practical point of view. I need a lot of space to feel comfortable. That is why I prefer painting in a studio. But I can do small sketches in plein air.

How many core colors do you use? 
Maybe around 15-20 colors, it depends a lot on the subject. I experiment a lot, but about 10 are my absolute favourites.

Tubes, pans or sticks?
Definitely tubes, but I will use sticks sometimes too, and pans, especially in plein air.

Do you use masking fluid? 
I don’t use it very often, but I sometimes do. I don’t like to set any limitations on myself, so if it helps the end result and my enjoyment in the process, then I’ll use it. Breaking limitations is my mantra.

When do you know that your piece is finished? 
The painting usually tells me, so I am learning to listen to it and understand its language.  Painting is a dialogue between yourself and your paper, your art materials and the water. So for me, it’s about learning to speak and listen with your painting, and finally reaching an agreement.

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Join us online each week for an Up Close and Personal Conversation with Daniel Smith CEO and Owner, John Cogley and guest artists from around the world. On Thursdays (2:00pm Pacific), John highlights various features of our products and answers your questions. On Fridays (10:30am Pacific), a guest artist follows up to share how they incorporate those features into their art. Click here for the upcoming week’s Zoom links.

Check our Facebook page for news about upcoming guest artists or to watch past replays. Each Zoom meeting is also recorded and shared on our YouTube channel. La traducción al español está disponible – selecciona el canal en español en Zoom.