Ethel Pajao paints romantic watercolor florals from her home in the Philippines which are light and ethereal, with a color palette that evokes joyful emotion. Her painting above was perfectly suited for the DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Confetti Dot Cards package. She’s married to artist Dino Pajao who has always inspired her. After ten years watching him work, she finally tryed watercolor herself and she quickly found her own creative style.

“My work usually follows my mood and thoughts – painting feels fluid and therapeutic. But I find myself most motivated to paint when my heart is full. I realized that I tend to breathe better when I paint. I love painting loose, expressive florals because it always connects me to home. I grew up with my grandma who loved flowers – the best part of my childhood was time spent with her making floral head dresses. In my journey, I have always found it helpful to be true to yourself first. I always keep this question in mind – am I still doing the things that I like to do, even if nobody is watching? If I can’t answer with an honest ‘yes’ at any given time, then I don’t paint. Art to me is first and foremost about self-expression.”