Jose Herrera Gallegos shared some of his favorite tips and techniques with watercolor.

Here’s a Q&A with Jose:

Why do you make art?
When I was a child, I realized that I had a certain ability to reproduce the world I saw. Now I make art because it serves as balance in a digitalized world and also allows me to celebrate culture.

How long have you been painting?
I have kept my drawings since I was four years old. I formally started at seventeen and I have been living off my art since that age.

Did you have formal art training?
I never attended any art school; due to family issues I was not able to go to university.  But I don’t say that I am self-taught, since we all at some point observe an artist develop their technique.

Are you a working artist or a hobbyist?
I am a full-time working artist.

Who inspires you?
Although I admire the great realism artists who capture nature, my main inspiration comes from surrealist painters – they influence my personal art. I am an admirer of Salvador Dalí, Maurits Escher, H.R. Giger and the great portrait painters like Rembrandt. From my country I really like Rafael Cauduro, who recently passed away.

What kind of music do you listen to while painting?
I mainly listen to heavy metal! But I have an eclectic music collection, including new age Cuban trova.

Have you had a mentor?
I don’t have a mentor as such, but I was fortunate to meet two or three really good artists in my city who were a great influence, helping me to consolidate my work years later.

Do you paint every day?
My life is permeated by painting, but there are days when I like to do other things like meeting friends, going somewhere new, or playing a sport. A break is always good.

Do you paint one piece at a time or work on several at the same time?
I paint at least two pieces at the same time – while one is drying, I start the other.

Do you create a concept piece first?
For my personal work, I always create a concept prior to an idea – I like to tell a story.

Do you prefer painting in studio or plein air?
Both are important. The studio allows me to work more comprehensively with better concentration in the closed space, and painting outdoors allows me to train my eyes and appreciate things better.

How many core colors do you use?
I really like the browns, then grays and turquoise blue.

Tubes, pans or sticks?
Tubes allow more versatility.

When do you know that your piece is finished?
Well the typical answer is that you never know when a painting is finished. But I’ve definitely learned that over time, it’s not that difficult for me to determine if a piece is already at its completion point.

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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 and some of our Brand Ambassadors highlight a group of colors and answer 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.

If you prefer, you can visit our Facebook page at showtime to watch live. Replays can be watched on Facebook or YouTube. La traducción al español está disponible – selecciona el canal en español en Zoom.