ニコール・ロペス・エスピノサ shared with us how she creates her beautiful watercolor art.

Here’s a quick Q&A with Nicole:

なぜあなたは芸術作品を制作するのですか？
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.

絵を描き始めてどれくらいになりますか？
I have been drawing and painting with different techniques since childhood. I started using watercolors around 2017.

あなたは正式な美術教育を受けましたか？
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.

あなたはプロのアーティストですか、それとも趣味で活動しているアーティストですか？
I started out as a hobbyist, but transformed art into my full-time job in 2016.

あなたを刺激するものは何ですか？
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.

絵を描くときはどんな音楽を聴きますか？
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.

あなたは毎日絵を描きますか？
Yes, I paint at least 2 hours every day; sometimes I even spend the whole night painting.

あなたは一度に1枚ずつ絵を描きますか、それとも同時に複数枚制作しますか？
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.

まずコンセプト作品を作成しますか？
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.

基本色は何色使用しますか？
My core palette consists of about 14 colors, which include six primary colors, cold and warm.

チューブ型、フライパン型、それともスティック型？
I have both pans and tubes. I like pans for easy transportation, but for studio painting I prefer tubes.

マスキング液は使いますか？
Yes, I use it wherever I want to preserve small details, like little spots on flower petals.

自分の作品が完成したと判断するのは、どのような時ですか？
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.