Martha Gómez-Silva from Peru shares her favorite watercolor palette and techniques:

Here’s a quick Q&A with Martha:

Why do you make art?
It’s my “me time.” Thanks to art, I have the chance to disconnect from the world, it also helps me to analyze and find easy solutions for my day to day challenges.

How long have you been painting?
I have been painting since 2020, right after the pandemic started. It was like everything stopped and we had a lot of free time at home since we couldn’t go outside. Watercolor painting helped me spend this time in a better way.

Did you have formal art training?
No, I am an emergent self-taught artist. I started by taking online workshops, then attending classes in my country and eventually overseas, where I’ve found many interesting technics from artists whom I really admire.

Are you a working artist or a hobbyist?
I don’t see art as a hobby because I am looking to become a professional artist.

Who inspires you?
I have too many favorite artists to name, but I love Jorge Corpuna, Nicolas Lopez, Agnes Cecille, Cesc Farre, Ingrid Elias, Katia Petrovsky and so many more!

What kind of music do you listen to while painting?
I hardly ever listen to music – because when you’re a mom, it’s never quiet at home. That’s why I enjoy painting in silence.

Have you had a mentor?
Cesar Caycho was my first professional teacher – it’s because of his mentoring that I completely changed my way of painting.

Do you paint every day?
I don’t always have time to paint every day, but I try to.

Do you paint one piece at a time or work on several at the same time?
I usually work on several at the same time because I have many ideas and I don’t want to miss anything.

Do you create a concept piece first?
I’m always inspired by nature first, then I look for reference photos on the internet, then I study the flower in different positions, and finally I create the composition.

Do you prefer painting in studio or plein air?
For a long time, I used to paint in my studio, but recently I started painting en plein air.

How many core colors do you use?
I like to paint with the primary colors – Hansa Yellow Medium, Alizarin Crimson, Magenta and Ultramarine Blue – then I enjoy mixing them up.

Tubes, pans or sticks?
For small pieces I prefer pans and for bigger ones I use tubes, however recently I discovered the sticks and I love them.

Do you use masking fluid?
Sometimes, because it helps me to keep lights.

When do you know that your piece is complete?
When all my shapes, colors and values exist in harmony. But I think I will never really fully be done with any piece. It’s just the best I can do at that time and moment.

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Join us online each week via Zoom or Facebook for an Up Close and Personal Conversation with John Cogley (Daniel Smith Owner and CEO) along with 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 shares a demo with their favorite tips and techniques. Click here for the upcoming week’s Zoom links.

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