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

Here’s a quick Q&A with Nicole:

Tại sao bạn lại làm nghệ thuật?
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.

Bạn đã vẽ tranh được bao lâu rồi?
I have been drawing and painting with different techniques since childhood. I started using watercolors around 2017.

Bạn có được đào tạo nghệ thuật bài bản không?
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.

Bạn là nghệ sĩ chuyên nghiệp hay chỉ là nghệ sĩ nghiệp dư?
I started out as a hobbyist, but transformed art into my full-time job in 2016.

Điều gì truyền cảm hứng cho bạn?
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.

Bạn thường nghe loại nhạc gì khi vẽ tranh?
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.

Bạn có vẽ tranh mỗi ngày không?
Yes, I paint at least 2 hours every day; sometimes I even spend the whole night painting.

Bạn vẽ từng bức một hay làm nhiều bức cùng lúc?
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.

Bạn có tạo ra bản phác thảo ý tưởng trước không?
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.

Bạn sử dụng bao nhiêu màu cơ bản?
My core palette consists of about 14 colors, which include six primary colors, cold and warm.

Dạng ống, dạng chảo hay dạng que?
I have both pans and tubes. I like pans for easy transportation, but for studio painting I prefer tubes.

Bạn có sử dụng dung dịch che phủ không?
Yes, I use it wherever I want to preserve small details, like little spots on flower petals.

Bạn biết tác phẩm của mình đã hoàn thành khi nào?
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.