Nicole López Espinoza shared with us how she creates her beautiful watercolor art.

Here’s a quick Q&A with Nicole:

Pourquoi créez-vous de l'art ?
After finishing university, art became a way to escape the stress and anxiety caused by my day job. In time, I realized that art allows me to express myself freely, without being concerned with other people’s expectations. It lets me live my life at my own pace. This is when I decided to pursue painting as my main job.

Depuis combien de temps peignez-vous ?
I have been drawing and painting with different techniques since childhood. I started using watercolors around 2017.

Avez-vous suivi une formation artistique formelle ?
No I am self-taught, but studying architecture at university taught me a lot about how to interpret objects and landscapes around me – I enjoyed the artistic aspects of the curriculum.

Êtes-vous un artiste professionnel ou un amateur ?
I started out as a hobbyist, but transformed art into my full-time job in 2016.

Qu'est-ce qui vous inspire ?
Nature in general – specifically the exploration of the feminine and ephemeral aspects of flowers. Bringing the magic of flowers’ emotion, fragrance and visual delight on to paper is a metaphysical refuge in an otherwise fast-paced world. Also I admire Luisa Rivera, who inspires me every day with her dreamlike works.

Quel genre de musique écoutez-vous en peignant ?
It depends on my state of mind and the type of assignment I am working on. Classical music or movie soundtracks are my favorites. Indie and pop music are my go-to genres for when I need a dose of extra motivation.

Vous peignez tous les jours ?
Yes, I paint at least 2 hours every day; sometimes I even spend the whole night painting.

Peignez-vous une toile à la fois ou travaillez-vous sur plusieurs simultanément ?
Usually I am working on several pieces at the same time, such as one personal painting plus a few paintings I use for teaching classes.

Créez-vous d'abord une esquisse conceptuelle ?
Normally I do not work with a concept piece. However I often do color studies to define my palette for a painting.

Do you prefer painting in a studio or plein air?
I prefer painting in the quietness of my studio.

Combien de couleurs principales utilisez-vous ?
My core palette consists of about 14 colors, which include six primary colors, cold and warm.

Tubes, casseroles ou bâtonnets ?
I have both pans and tubes. I like pans for easy transportation, but for studio painting I prefer tubes.

Utilisez-vous du liquide de masquage ?
Yes, I use it wherever I want to preserve small details, like little spots on flower petals.

À quel moment sait-on que son œuvre est terminée ?
I consider a piece finished once I feel confident with having achieved the level of realism, three-dimensional volume and aesthetic expression that I am looking for.