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

¿Por qué haces arte? 
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.

¿Cuánto tiempo llevas pintando? 
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.

¿Eres artista profesional o aficionado? 
Painting is my hobby. I am not a professional artist, but I work with professional artists in the painting holiday excursions that I organize.

¿Qué te inspira?
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.

¿Pintas todos los días?
I would love to, but I don’t – just a few days per week.

¿Pintas una pieza a la vez o trabajas en varias simultáneamente?
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.

¿Primero creas un boceto conceptual? 
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.

¿Qué tipo de música escuchas mientras pintas? 
Many kinds of music, especially the type that helps me connect with my soul, like jazz, Bossa Nova (MPB), Mantras, songwriters.

¿Prefieres pintar en estudio o al aire libre? 
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.

¿Cuántos colores básicos utilizas? 
Maybe around 15-20 colors, it depends a lot on the subject. I experiment a lot, but about 10 are my absolute favourites.

¿Tubos, sartenes o palitos?
Definitely tubes, but I will use sticks sometimes too, and pans, especially in plein air.

¿Utilizas líquido de enmascarar? 
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.

¿Cuándo sabes que tu obra está terminada? 
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.