Here’s a Q & A with Gonzalo Cid

Why do you make art? 
I paint because of me and to me. I paint because I need it. Art is the food of my soul

How long have you been painting? 
I start drawing and painting when I was so young, but I leaved the painting in the High School and start again almost 20 years ago.

Did you have formal art training? 
No, I have not.

Are you a working artist or a hobbyist? 
I live from my artist work, teaching and selling my artworks.

Who and/or what do you look to for inspiration?
Everything that around me can be a source of inspiration, streets, nature, fields, plants, houses, people, a book, a tv show, a magazine, music are also a strong source of inspiration.

What kind of music do you listen to while painting?
It depends of my mood, I´m going from Classical music to Limp Bizkit.

Have you had a mentor? 
Yes, there was a person that introduces me to the watercolor world. Jorge Royan was and Architect, photographer and Urban Sketcher from Buenos Aires. Several years ago he told me: “Once you try the watercolor, you´ll never let it go” and here I am.

Do you paint every day? 
Yes (but we know that is not true LOL)

Do you paint one piece at a time or work on several at once? 
It depends, sometimes I work with 2 or 3 pieces at the same time, but I usually paint one and then start with another one.

Do you create a concept piece first? 
For some works yes, I do several small works for composition arrangements and tonal values, look for references in my pictures, do some small approaches and finally do the painting

Do you prefer painting in the studio or en plein air?
In Studio paintings we have more controlled environment so it is easier to paint
But I like Both.

How many core colors do you use? 
Few years ago I had e very limited palette, since that I´m expanding the amount of colors, but usually I work with no more than 5 tones in a same painting

Tubes, pans, or sticks? 
Tubes and Sticks

Do you use masking fluid? 
No, I like the adrenaline of leave white spaces just with brushes.

When do you know a piece is finished?
I do the same question to me every single day. I do another question to answer it: “Is this, that I´m going to put in the paper, helps to do my artwork better?” if yes, go ahead, if not the work is finished.

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.