Gonzalo Vargas came to us LIVE from Chile on Friday, July 22nd to share his watercolor techniques and favorite color palette.

Pourquoi créez-vous de l'art ?
Art gives me a space to explore, to discover and to know, as in a continuous game of encounter and rapprochement. It is very satisfying to study the world around us from a visual language, and from a starting point that goes beyond the obvious. On the other hand, through art it is possible to express oneself and create a new world, which is a need that comes from the depths of the spirit and is very comforting. Art is, in essence, an abstraction – the need to synthesize reality. I believe it is the right way to better understand the world we live in and perhaps answer some big questions about existence.

Depuis combien de temps peignez-vous ?
Since I was a child, I was attracted by the graphic images in magazines. I started cutting small images and then I began to create my own. Watercolor always attracted me; from the age of 12 I started to use it. Around the age of 15, I met a watercolorist in my city, with whom I agreed to go out to paint en plein air in urban areas. I never abandoned watercolor, but there were periods when I did not paint for a while. Finally in 2010, I took up my passion for painting again in a more constant and dedicated way.

Avez-vous suivi une formation artistique formelle ?
I am mostly self taught. I studied drawing for about a year at the school of fine arts in my city when I was about 20 years old. But as an architect, I was trained in urban sketching during my studies. In more recent years, I was part of a workshop by a renowned watercolor master named Victor Hugo Arevalo, which was part of my artistic training.

Êtes-vous un artiste professionnel ou un amateur ?
As a leader of IWS and also a representative for Fabriano in Acquarello, I dedicate an important part of my time to the management and administration of artistic tasks related to these organizations. In this sense, my personal dedication to painting must be balanced with leaving space for other tasks, so I think I’d say I’m a semi-professional artist.

Qu'est-ce qui vous inspire ?
I think that when we are starting to learn watercolor, we tend to look for direct references that give us answers and solutions. But with time, I feel that the artistic path becomes more and more individual or personal. The references can come from many sources, even music. From the daily experience of seeing the light, the landscape, to the contemplation of old masters of painting in any of the themes, everything eventually can be useful to create new ideas. However, I recognize that the natural landscape and the light is always among my greatest inspirations.

Quel genre de musique écoutez-vous en peignant ?
I like to paint with music, even though I sometimes do without it. I have painted a lot with classical music such as Shubert, Vivaldi, and Verdi among others. I also like to listen to contemporary music, although I need to choose it in advance and select what I find interesting. I like to explore music and surprise myself with new artists or styles, looking for new ideas from music.

Avez-vous eu un mentor ?
I think it’s great to have a mentor, but I don’t have one. Having someone to talk to and get proper advice from would be a great addition, I think it’s something we would all like to have.

Vous peignez tous les jours ?
I try to do it daily, but it is not always possible. Many times, when I don’t have enough time to paint, I opt to do something quick so I don’t disconnect from painting. On the mental or idea level, I can say that I am “painting” every day with my eyes and creating possible works by looking at the landscape.

Peignez-vous une toile à la fois ou travaillez-vous sur plusieurs simultanément ?
In general, I paint one piece at a time and finish it in one session. However, sometimes I prepare the drawing of a work and leave it for another day. Often my attention is fixed on more than one subject, so at any given time, I usually have more than one motivation of themes or problems that I want to address.

Créez-vous d'abord une esquisse conceptuelle ?
Most of the time I enter directly into a subject and this first approach helps me to understand and advance in later works. If something doesn’t work out well or gives me doubts, then in a second version I try to improve or correct it. Other times I realize simpler ideas in small format, or I work on specific parts of a work, details or areas of interest.

Préférez-vous peindre en atelier ou en plein air ?
I like both situations. In plein air painting, there is great excitement and enjoyment, it is an adventure and a panorama in itself, which is very comforting. But being in the studio can be considered something more everyday, which sometimes is very pleasant, since it’s a space of its own that welcomes a very special state of peace and concentration. I believe that in both situations there is a beauty and very special characteristics, but obviously the comfort and practicality occurs more in the studio.

Combien de couleurs principales utilisez-vous ?
It depends on the theme. but in general, I use various types of blue, with shades of brown or sienna. At the same time, I use a few colors like yellow or red. I could say that I use about ten basic colors, but depending on the subject I am addressing, I add some more specific colors.

Tubes, casseroles ou bâtonnets ?
Usually tubes, but I have some good quality pan sets that work well for travel and smaller formats. In the case of the sticks, I have used them a little, but they seem to be a good tool to achieve greater expressiveness with quick works.

À quel moment sait-on que son œuvre est terminée ?
When approaching the end of a work, it is inevitable to make a check or balance of what is right or wrong, if the message is understood or if there are deficient areas. At that time, I make some adjustments and final line touches. If after that, I don’t see things to change, then I stop. In any case, it is easier for me to make decisions about touch-ups during the process itself. If I intend to start making changes the next day, I don’t feel sufficiently in tune to propose new interventions.