Agus Budiyanto came to us LIVE from Indonesia on Friday, January 21st via Zoom to talk about his watercolor style and favorite palette.

Here’s a quick Q&A with Agus:

Why do you make art?
Painting is my life. I started painting at 8 years old when my dad gave me watercolor sets and paper. At that time, I thought the only painting medium was watercolor. I fell in love with this medium and I don’t want to change.

Did you have formal art training?
No, I am an autodidact (self-taught).

Are you a working artist or a hobbyist?
I have been a full-time artist since 2000. Before that, I worked as a creative designer at Hilton Jakarta Hotel for 15 years.

Who or what do you look to for inspiration?
I get inspiration from music.

What kinds of music do you like?
Painting and music are very important for me – both complement each other. I love new age, contemporary, jazz, and ambient music. I have a collection of more than 1000 CDs. When I paint, music gives me an emotion which can be dynamic or mellow.

Do you have a mentor?
My curator Eddy Soetriyono was my mentor for 20 years, but he passed away last October.

Do you paint every day?
Almost every day – between painting for myself and for my watercolor class. My working time is from 9am to 5pm.

Do you paint one piece at a time or work on several at the same time?
I do one piece at a time.

Do you create a concept piece first?
I have a concept in my mind before I paint. It takes longer to finish the concept than making the painting.

Do you prefer painting in studio or plein air?
I paint in my studio mostly.

Do you paint vertically or flat?
I paint flat on the table or on the floor.

How many core colors do you use?
Almost all the colors on my DANIEL SMITH palette.

Do you use watercolor in tubes, pans or sticks?
I use the 15ml tubes, usually I need 1 or 2 tubes of certain colors for just one painting.

When do you know that your piece is finished?
When I get the feeling that it’s enough, I need to stop. The conductor is my soul, and my hand is a messenger of my soul.

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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.

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