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Finally, I have decided to become a Mastery Program student . I think I have already consumed everything I could get my hands on from it for months, all the free content, the Youtube videos , the podcast ... everything. What is the Mastery Program? The Mastery Program is an online one-year program by Milan Art Institute , for artists that are either beginners or established, to help them master painting and drawing techniques, discover their artistic voice, and launch a safe art business. It has four parts: first: developing your skills Here is where I am right now. This part is about learning the foundations mainly of oil or charcoal or graphite painting. I thought this section would be more boring for me, but I am learning a lot and enjoying every part of it. As a self-taught artist, I am learning and discovering things that may be very obvious for advanced painters but new for me. second: finding your style and voice This is the mixed media part, and I think that everyone who enrolls the program is very excited for this part where you are supposed to discover yourself as an artist. third: build your portfolio Every artist has to create a cohesive portfolio of 30 pieces that showcase their own voice. fourth: launch your brand In this part, artists are taught by people who is already totally dedicated full-time to their own brand and business . How does it work? I have enrolled this very month July 2024. I know the program has changed a bit lately, for example, it includes now group mentoring in the basic enrollment. There are two ways of functioning: you can pay month by month , and you will only get the classes for that month, or you can pay all in full and receive everything in advance. I have done the second option, which allows me to take the classes and assignments faster than if I had to wait month to month. The course is designed to be done in one year (although I think you have life access), which is about 20 hours per week. For the group mentor sessions, you can choose one per week (there are different times available because everyone has one that works for them, as there are people from all around the globe). You can show there what you have been working on or ask questions, and you will receive feedback from the other students and the mentors, who are graduates of the program. Also, there is a mentor group chat where you can go posting during your week your questions and assignments, and also get feedback and answers. How my first assignments as a Mastery Program student have turned out? I really hope this information is useful for you all. I'll be happy to answer your questions if you have any!

Choosing the right art for my bedroom has not been easy. Well, I had never wondered if what I had there was good or wrong. I hang paintings in all the wall space I see available because, that way, I can have some of my work out of the studio and have more space. But now I want to change this. My boyfriend and I did make a great effort with that room and I don't want to convert it into a storage room. Our new bedroom It was a tiny space furnished years ago by other people, and we wanted it to be more our taste, more ours. It had a big built-in wardrobe and we started by taking it out. We visited a shop that did and sold built-in wardrobes and bought a whole set of new furniture for us. That way, we decided on the color palette for our bedroom: off-white wood and turquoise. My boyfriend also raised the roof with some help, arranged new lighting and, when the furniture arrived, we had already painted. My bedroom art until now Before starting to paint more seriously, I painted a triptych that would go above our headboard. Carlos, my boyfriend, and I decided the topic: we wanted it to represent the places we are more attached to: Vancouver Island: I lived in Victoria BC for a year, and my dream is to go back there someday, maybe to spend a longer time (30x90cm). Barcelona: we are from Barcelona, we love Barcelona. Barcelona connects us. welcomes us...  (90x90cm). Chicago: Carlos lived there also for a year. As an architect, this city has a lot to offer him and he would like to show me this place where he learned so much (30x90cm). Although I could paint, I didn't know about mediums or styles. So I did each painting in a very different style and color palette. A little later on, I started painting much more seriously, and I learned and acquired some better taste (not a lot better, but enough to say that tryptic was not good at all). Also, I started hanging paintings that would fit the walls without thinking if they were good there. Choosing the right Art for my Bedroom As I said, I need this to change. I need to choose art that fits and belongs to my bedroom. In my case, I am talking about my art here. Right now, I can't afford to buy a lot, neither have the space to hang it properly. As I said, the bedroom is small. With the triptych above the headboard, it would be enough. So I am working in a new triptych, trying to think of the next guidances I concluded on how to choose the best art for my bedroom: Of course, my budget limited the search for my work. Consider the space. I have a small room and some white walls that I can fill. I saw once advice from some design blog that said that a painting should fill two-thirds or three-quarters of an empty wall. I think putting just the triptych will be fine. Also, and what I decided that it was more important here, was the mood I wanted to express. We are talking about the bedroom, a place that should be peaceful, and relaxed. I wanted something soothing and light and not the dark paintings we had before. My Triptic So I am working now on a new triptych that is much better than the one we had before. I have chosen a color palette that is much more according to our bedroom and that also is more light and soothing: white, ochre and gold, and blue. My Barcelona This is the name of the painting in the middle, which I have just finished. I think it is a great painting. It is 90x90cm, kind of abstract, but you can find some figures. On one hand, there is the Barceloneta beach, with the W Barcelona hotel in the middle. On the other hand, there is the face of a woman. She looks like a goddess, emerging from the moody abstract sky behind the hotel. Although I could paint, I didn't know about mediums or styles. So I did each painting in a very different style and color palette. I used to work in the W Hotel. I spent around a year and a half and, although I know it is not a long time, I feel like I lived a lot there. I learned a lot about myself and about life, I met a lot of interesting people, the good memories of the ones I will always carry with me. Also, I was there when I heard I had That is what the painting means to me. My personal growth working in the W Barcelona and living in La Barceloneta. As a bonus, Carlos is an architect and he took me once to visit the studio house of the great and famous architect of the W Barcelona, Ricard Bofill. I hope I can show you soon the whole triptych!

El dia 6 d'abril, vaig tenir l'honor d'ensenyar algunes de les meves obres en una exposició que em va tornar a connectar a la música, no només a mi, sinó a tota la gent que va venir. Hauria d'haver publicat aquesta entrada fa setmanes, però he tingut alguns problemes per saber què volia dir-ne. Per això, vaig decidir donar-me uns dies per pensar-ho bé i per deixar que les meves emocions es refredessin una mica. A més, per algunes raons de salut, el meu ull no aguanta estar massa estona davant de la pantalla. ** Normalment, escric en anglès, per l'única raó de què així abasto un ventall més ample de gent. Aquesta entrada l'he volgut passar al català, perquè és la meva llengua, la que comparteixo amb les persones que em van acompanyar aquest dia. Però els enllaços que deixo a la meva web són en anglès, i per això si voleu traduir podeu fer servir el traductor. Pintura i música: una exposició que va connectar el meu art amb el meu amor per la música Tot va començar un matí en què estava cotillejant el WhatsApp, bàsicament mirant si algú havia canviat la foto de perfil. Va ser aleshores que vaig veure el nom de la Nina a la pantalla, i se'm va ocórrer comentar-li que estava pintant molt i que, potser, voldria penjar algun dels meus quadres perquè la gent els veiés a la seva acadèmia. La Nina i la veu Tiro una mica enrere. Conec a la Nina des de ja fa un temps i sempre m'ha intentat ajudar. Creu que les persones ens hem d'ajudar entre nosaltres per a fer realitat els nostres somnis, i jo no podria estar-hi més d'acord. La Nina té una acadèmia de música al meu poble, Nina Academia, on ella i el seu equip ensenyen a tothom com fer servir la veu. Fa uns anys (soc pesada, però poder saber més coses sobre mi aquí), jo cantava. Bé, no és per presumir, però ho feia força bé. Bé, no tant. Diguem que no donava molt de mal de cap (excepte a ma germana). Però cantava en un cor de Barcelona, feia classes de teatre musical... I també feia classes amb l'Elena, que era de l'equip de la Nina. Però després d'això no vaig cantar més. Tampoc sabia com fer servir la veu per parlar. Vaig anar un cop més a Nina Academia, però no per cantar. Necessitava saber com fer servir la veu per comunicar-me. No diré gaire cosa més sobre aquells moments, només que ara parlo i parlo molt. En cas que esteu interessats en el procés, deixo aquest link per a llegir un post que en va fer la Nina, i aquest episodi del seu podcast on en parla: Després de tot aquest temps, doncs, vaig decidir tornar a contactar amb la Nina. I, com sempre, em va ajudar. L'exposició El dia 6 d'abril em vaig llevar feliç de poder compartir allò en què havia estat treballant mentres em rehabilitava. Ho havíem preparat tot dos dies abans: les pintures i els currats expositors que la meva parella i el meu pare havien construït junts. Quan vam arribar aquell matí, l'habitació ja estava plena de cadires, i diversos cantants assajaven les cançons que compartirien. L'exposició no era únicament un "showroom" de les meves obres, sinó un concert on els assistents podrien gaudir d'una mica de música. Les meves pintures, per anar en consonància del tema musical, estaven totes dedicades a algunes de les meves cantants preferides. Aquí deixo les imatges dels meus quadres: El meu "gràcies" a tothom Com he dit abans, no m'ha estat possible expressar abans el que aquesta exposició va significar per mi. No parlaré de l'esdeveniment en sí, només diré que va ser bonic, emotiu i que havies de ser allà per realment entendre el que va significar. Gràcies a tots i totes les artistes que van venir a compartir el seu talent amb tothom i que em van ajudar a farcir el meu art de música. Gràcies a tothom que va venir, que va decidir passar el matí d'un bonic dissabte amb nosaltres i els nostres somnis. I, particularment, moltes gràcies a aquells i aquelles que van venir expressament des de lluny. Gràcies a l'Ame Soler, Tres Voltes Rebel, per venir des de València per donar-me una totalment inesperada sorpresa que quasi em fa plorar tot i que havia promès que no ho faria. I gràcies també pel magnífic i súper útil regal que em va fer! Gràcies al Carlos, la meva parella, i a tota la família que va estar amb mi no només aquell matí, però tots els dies previs per ajudar-me a preparar-ho tot. I, finalment, 1000 gràcies a la Nina i al seu equip per fer-ho tot possible.

On April 6th, I had the honor to have some of my work shown at an exposition that connected me - and everyone else present - back to music. I should have published this post many weeks ago, but I have had some trouble writing for not knowing exactly what to say. I decided that it would be better to give myself some more time to think it over and cool it off a little. Also, due to some health issues I have explained before, my eye doesn't let me write in front of a screen a lot of time, and I needed to organize my day a little bit better. Pintura i música: an exposition that linked my art and my love for music Everything started one day when I was scrolling down my WhatsApp chats, myself being curious about people's pictures and wanting to see if someone had recently changed them. It was then that I saw Nina's name on the screen, and it occurred to me to send her a message telling her that I was painting a lot and that maybe she would want to have some of my art in her academy for people to see. Nina and the voice Going back a little, I have known Nina for a long time and she has always tried to help me with everything I asked. She believes that we need to help each other so we can all achieve our dreams, and I couldn't agree more with her. Nina has a music academy in my hometown, Nina Academia, where she and her team teach many people how to use their voices as they want. Years ago (again, I'll ask you to visit this page to know more about my life), I used to sing. Okay, not to brag, I was quite good. Well, not that much. I will just say it didn't hurt to hear me sing a little bit. I sang in a choir in Barcelona and took some musical theatre courses. Also, I was taking classes with one of Nina's team members: Elena. But, after what I explained here, I was not able to do it anymore. But not only this: I couldn't even use my voice to talk. So I went back to Nina Academia, not to learn how to use my voice to sing, but to learn how to use it to speak. I won't say much more about that, only that I learned how to talk again. And I talk a lot now. If you are interested in this process, Nina wrote years ago this post about it. Also, I am attaching here a podcast episode where you can hear about it. So, after all that time, I decided to reach back to Nina. And, as always, she was more than ready to help me. The exposition So, on April 6th, I woke up happy to show what I had been working on, trying to make the best of my rehabilitation time. We had set everything up two days ago: the paintings and the beautiful exhibidors my boyfriend had built next to my father. But when we arrived that morning the room was already set with many chairs and people were rehearsing the songs they were going to sing. The exhibition was not only a showroom for my art but also a concert where people would enjoy the music. My paintings, matching this music theme, were all dedicated to some of my favorite music artists. Here, I leave some pictures of the paintings I presented: My thank you to everyone As I said, I was not able to say back then what that meant to me. I will not talk about the event, I will only say that it was emotional and beautiful and that you had to be there to fully understand what it signified. Thank you to all the artist who came that day to share their talent with everyone and for being there to help me accompany my work of their music. Thank you to everyone who came, deciding to share their precious Saturday morning with us and our dreams. And a particular thank you to those who came intentionally even when you were far away. Thank you to Ame Soler, Tres Voltes Rebel, for coming from Valencia and giving me that not-at-all-expected surprise that brought me to the edge of tears even when I had promised not to. And also, I want to thank her for the awesome super-usefull present she brought me. Thank you to Carlos, my boyfriend, and to all my family that was with me not only that day but the previous ones, helping me to set everything ready. And finally, thank you to Nina and all her team for making it all possible.

Finding your voice and style is a part of your artistic journey and it is not easy. I know what I want to say, what I like. I also know what I want to express and how I would like people to feel when they look at my art. This is a post that is kind of my road map to understand what drives me, what I am more attracted to, and what elements I want to commonly use to express myself. When I think about finding my voice and style i think about... There is a lot of information on the Internet about how to find your voice and style as an artist. Youtube videos, podcasts, blog posts... I guess all artists are trying to share what has worked for them, and I am non-stop feeding from their advice to use it for my personal growth as an artist. There is a piece of advice that really got me. It was on a video from Milan Art Institute, I will leave it here so you can check it if you want: To make a very summarized explanation of the main descriptions, Dimitra and Jake define the next topics: STYLE is more visual, and it is a combination of PERSONAL AESTHETIC + TASTE + PROCESS. VOICE is more insightful, it is your why, why you make art, and what do you want to express... PROCESS is how you make your source, your materials, how you lay down your paint... PERSONAL AESTHETIC is what you find beautiful, it is kind of your Pinterest board. TASTE - it is kind of your aesthetic but it can evolve, it is like your aesthetic evolution. So, when I think about finding my voice and style I think I have to define these points, make them my own, and have them clear in my mind and present while working Let's go for style and taste I start this exercise by going to my own Pinterest board and looking at what images I do beautiful and normally safe. I find here a romantic-vintage style, with nude and earthy tones and some violet. Also, I can say I like a more natural look and also silvester plants and flowers like lavender or daisies. After that, I go check thr artists that I like and I make this selection: I used as examples some of the artworks I would definitely hang at home. They are from Rita Vicari, Tahlia Stanton, Dimitra Milan, Caroline Wendelin and Victoria Park. and some more about the process I like starting with charcoal or markers to set the initial sketch. I normally use a projector, but sometimes I don't have it that handy and I don't. After that, I normally throw some inks or watery transparent acrylics. Sometimes, I also use spray paint. If I do collage, I do it then or before this last step. Then, I use acrylic paint, first transparent and then more opaque. This way, I can set more visually the image I am going to paint. If I do golden leaf, I do it then. Also, if I apply any kind of modeling paste. And now, I go for oils. Sometimes oil pastels first. Let's go for voice For the voice, I will use my artist statement: My art has been my way of sharing with the world my particular point of view, what I see as beautiful, and what lies in my mind. Through a mixed media process that I normally like to crown with oil painting, I put on paper, panels, or canvas all my thoughts. Both painting and writing are my medicines for everything that goes on in my life. ​ There are a few things that inspire my paintings. The main ones are women because I know there is a different strength within us that makes us all unique and special and worth exploring and knowing more about. I speak about being positive in a world that sometimes makes it difficult, about having in mind what really matters and believing in oneself. Also, I feel inspired by those places that have a place in my heart, such as British Columbia, New York, or Barcelona. Lastly, I would say colors inspire me, as I can give them a lot of meanings I may be inventing and I love doing that. My conclusion I think that, while I have a clear aesthetic, I end up liking so many different things, and this goes a lot with my mood. What I do end up figuring out is that I am more inclined to like light colors or plain white as my main background. I need nude and whites, as well as many more neutrals than I normally use. I need more atmospheric sense and more magic in my paintings, I want to give them more natural tones and lower a little bit the contrast. I also think that I like bigger canvases to paint on, more like the one I am using right now which is 70x100cm. I think there are some things I need to keep working on while planning the painting, such as diminishing the darkness and setting much more neutral colors, but I am happy with the painting I am working on now, with the elements and colors I have used and how I have applied the paint.

I need to hear music, podcasts, or something when I paint. It stimulates my brain and helps me focus on my work. Also, these are sources of creativity or inspiration. I also have to say that I like playing it loud, as I want people to know I am painting and not open to having a conversation at the moment. I am one of those people that cannot do two things at a time. So I cannot paint and talk at the same time, and if I do it, I will do one of the two things poorly. So voices like Billy Eilish's, Noah Kahan's, or Jodie King's are the ones that come with me when I step into my world and cover myself in paint. Music and podcasts: music First I'll talk about my music. Down here, I link my Spotify list for painting, which I update all the time. However, I am not someone who sticks to the same music all the time. I have my playlist, but it also goes a lot depending on what I am painting, how I want to apply the paint, or just my mood. This playlist for painting is made by acoustic music, more alternative maybe, but relaxing. I do have a lot of songs, but I also have some favorite artists at the moment: Billie Eilish: my favorite songs at the moment are Wildflower and L'Amour de Ma Vie Taylor Swift: my favorite song is Anti-Hero Miley Cyrus: my favorite songs are Angels Like You or her version of Nothing Else Matters London Grammar: my favorite song is Hey Now Favourite at the moment and forever in my favorites list. I also have a list of songs that I consider to be the most motivational songs of all, like Hungry Eyes by Eric Carmen or Africa from TOTO. Music and podcasts: podcasts Podcasts are for when I am not proactive in listening and to stay present than when I choose to listen to music. As I like to really use them to learn something or get inspired or motivated, I need to be able to have enough mental energy to focus on painting, hearing, and understanding. Honest Art Podcast with Jodie King Both to learn about making art and the business of it and to get motivated, there is the Honest Art Podcast. Jodie King is an abstract artist who has a very fun way of talking about things, she puts everything as it is, and I really appreciate it. Light Movement Podcast and Milan Art Institute Milan Art Institute YouTube channel and the workshops from Art Social (when it was opened) are, for me, some of the most resourceful tools I have used self-learning how to do art. I like the podcast Light Movement, also from Milan Art Institute, to get inspired and motivated, as well as all the videos and resources that are not actual classes of art techniques or business oriented. However, when listening to the Milan family talking, I have to remind myself that they are a family. What do I want to say about that? They have succeeded in doing what they love because they are talented (of course) but also because they are family. I guess it is easier to get noticed when your family is already in the art industry and have authority there. Again, I don't want to deny their talent (Dimitra is one of my favorite artists), but to keep in mind that they are talking from their own reality, that is not mine. Self-Taught Artist with Lauren Kristine I enjoyed the Self Taught Artist Podcast because Lauren Kristine makes it approachable to artists who are starting or want to start in the business. She covers very interesting topics, things that we all ask ourselves as very new emerging artists. Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo Apart from painting, I love writing as much, so I enjoy listening to tips or interesting conversations about this art. Fiction Writing Made Easy is the first writing podcast I have been able to listen to. I find it hard to stick to an entire episode about writing, but with Savannah Gilbo is just so easy!

There are some artists who inspire me when I scroll down my Instagram feed. They are Rita Vicari, Tahlia Stanton, Helena Bednorz Klaus, Jessi Dahlquist, Judith Miau and Ame Soler (Tres Voltes Rebel). Rita Vicari I first saw Rita looking at the Milan Art Mastery Program, as she is one of the mentors there. Actually, it was through a video where she showed her start-to-end process creating art. Checking at her work, I knew I wanted to try mixed media. Clicking here you can find the bio she has on her website. I find her work very unique, as it looks kind of simple due to its white clean background, but also it is so rich with vibrant colors and textures. Her paintings have that special attribute that makes them seem easy (not the realist skintone, though, or the portrait itself), but there is nothing easy in them. Everything has a purpose, each line, each dot, they add to a whole composition that looks complete. Although I love most of her paintings, there are three of them that I would call my favourite ones. They are part of her WOMEN-INSPIRED: BOLD AND EMPOWERED collection: New World, Only and ever love and Ready or not. Tahlia Stanton Tahlia Stanton is a very young successful artist from Australia. I felt in love with her whole aesthetic. She is not only a great painter, but she also knows how to create a whole special look for everything that tells you she's been there. Her paintings are magical, every one of her colors and brushtrokes have a specific intention and you can see it in each artwork. These are my three top paintings from Tahlia Stanton: The Beauty of Imperfect Things, Light Up the Sky and Sejourner. Helena Bednorz Klaus Helena B Klaus has a very different approach to art than mine. She doesn't use much color, just splashes of it and with a lot of intention. I have tried to create art that looks like hers, but it is totally impossible for me. She paints, but mostly she draws. And she is super talented in doing so. These are my three top paintings from Helena B Klaus: Lifetime of vanilla sky, Die Frau mit Hunden and Calm down party. Jessi Dahlquist I first saw Jessi in The Outstanding Artist reality show from Milan Art Institute. I instantly loved the say she paints, I thought she is one of the most original painters I've seen. I love the way she uses bright fluorescent colors and abstract patterns all the way around. These are my three top paintings from Jessi Dahlquis: Leader-ship, Baby you will fly and Arise and shine. Judit Miau Judit Miau is a young Catalan artist. Her style is more simple, more like a sketch or a drawing, to which sometimes she adds some color. She paints really intimate moments, and her topics go around feminism, mental health or social problems. She tarted in La Madriguera, an art studio by Paula Bonet, also a very talented artist. My three top paintings from Judit Miau are: Ojo, De espacio and Cistitis. Tres Voltes Rebel, Ame Soler Ame's Soler artistic name is Tres Voltes Rebel. She does mores illustrations than fine art, but I think she is the first artist I started following on social media. She is from Valencia, and very compromized in social topics, mostly feminism. The technique she uses the most is watercolor, something I have always had problems using. Maybe this is the reason I admire watercolor so much. She uses portraits to express messages, putting with them strong words mostly from Catalan musicians. These are my three top paintings from Tres Voltes Rebel: Bruixes, Mama quiero ser libre and Cossos.

Although I love the look of a varnished painting, I must confess I've always been a little bit afraid of the varnishing part of the process. I did this post on my Instagram account when I thought I was ready to share my own varnishing thoughts, after trying to answer my multiple questions by watching videos and tutorials on Youtube, reels on Instagram, reading some blog posts or asking other artists or in art shops. My doubts about varnishing I do mix media; is there any varnish for all mediums? Do I need to just paint with dry mediums or just wet mediums to varnish with the exact correct product? If I use charcoal to sketch my painting, should I fix it first? And if I use watercolor during the process? Should I fix it too? And Chinese ink? And pastels? What about oil pastels? And above all... Will varnishing ruin my painting? My conclusions First of all, I need to make clear that I am not an expert and these are the conclusions I got from watching, listening and reading a lot from other artists. These conclusions, then, may not be correct, and I would be more than happy to receive corrections or any other recommendation. However, I put this right here so anyone who may have similar doubts can try what I have tried. There is no specific varnish for mixed media, so you need to learn as much as you can about varnishes to decide which one will serve you better. I can definitely mix dry and wet mediums in a painting, but I need to know that a varnish that I use for one may not work for the other one. I like to keep it simple and fix everything I can. The truth, is that I only have a fixative for charcoal, pastels or colored pencils. I have used it before for oil pastels to try, but it does not work very well. It fixes them a bit but not completely. I know that there is a fixative for them specifically, so this probably works. If I use oil pastels, I then don't fix them and use a spray varnish at the end. If I only use watercolors I use a watercolors spray varnish for them. If I mix them with other mediums the spray varnish for acrylics and oils works just fine. If it is only acrylics and oils, I prefer to use a liquid varnish. However, you must know that oil cannot be varnished before it is completely dry (which may take you about six months). I think the one that I use is the only one that you can use when it is dry to the touch (which takes you around two to ten days). The exact products that have helped me overcome the fear of varnishing Fixative 064 Pastel from Talents Sennelier spray varnish satin for acrylics and oils Liquid varnish Gamvar Satin from Gamblin Watercolor and gouache spray varnish from Lefranc Bourgeois

I love the first painting I sold. My mum chose the theme and, although it was still October, she chose Christmas. I know she wanted something more green and red, more following the Christmas colors and spirit, but I did what I always do and chose blue as my main color. And a night mystical scene to let my imagination break free. The source I am kind of a control freak, so I almost always use a source to paint. The only times I don't are because I want to experiment, and I rarely like the outcome. This is my three-easy-step process for producing sources: I go to Pinterest and start searching and losing myself scrolling down the page, getting inspired by so many pictures and saving some of them to put together and create the painting. I like choosing dreamy misty almost fantastic backgrounds, mostly nights, starry skies, and full moon. I take all the pictures I have and mix them up using my two favorite tools in Photoshop: layers and rubber. I play around until I have the image I want to paint. The underpainting For this concrete painting I used a projector to draw the image on a 350g cotton paper of 80x60cm. I never go too accurate when drawing, just some here and there graphite lines to guide me later on when I apply colors. It usually takes me around five minutes if I use a projector, and around ten if I don't, mostly because I always need to draw a grid first to keep the proportions correct. Once I have the drawing, I use inks if I have them (at that moment I only had the turquoise acrylic ink by Liquitex, which I LOVE), and very watery acrylics. The end of the painting This painting is all in acrylics. I would say that my process when creating art, more than the tools I use, is working in layers. Layers map the path of my painting process, they tell me what to do next. As I painted the piece on paper, I decided to frame it. I bought a green wood frame but, as I didn't like the color, I spray-painted it in gold. What the painting being sold meant to me I sold that painting two weeks after creating it, by showing it in my mum's shop. When I gave her the piece, I told her it would sold when a kid would fall in love with it. And this is exactly what happened. I feel so thankful for that kid because the fact that she loved my painting made me feel appreciated and seen. I wanted magic to happen with that piece, and I wanted it to be about the magical time of the year Christmas is for everyone, but mostly for kids.

I feel good painting, I feel as if I am doing something good with my time, like I am really taking profit from it instead of wasting it. I haven't been working for 5 months now, trying to recover myself from four different surgeries. It has been hard. Not that I love my job, but I am the kind of person that wants to feel useful. And I was not feeling like that during my first three months after the big first surgery. The thing is that I am experiencing something I have already lived about five years ago. Then, I also had a big surgery that completely changed my life. It was even harder than now, as it didn't go as expected. It took me more than two years to go back to work again. Let me tell you something. Sometimes is not about physical health. Now, more than ever, we hear about mental health. When you have a physical disease, a physical problem, it also happens to get mental. So, maybe, you kind of recover physically. But the mental recovery takes more time. About the Women on Chairs: a collection about recovering This collection of painting was a coincidence, as I made the two first paintings not thinking in anything to willingly connect them. In the middle of the process of painting the second piece, however, I noticed something in common. There were chairs, and both women were kind of taking care of themselves in their pose. That make me think it would be interesting to make a serie of paintings to reflect women pausing their daily activities to think about what they would want or need. I wanted them to be dreamy, and also I wanted the whole piece to be beautiful and to reflect calm and tranquility. The first three pieces As I say, I want this collection to be about self-discovery, about paying attention to one-self and to find out what to do next. I want to paint women who are taking a moment to think about themselves and solve and cure themselves by hearing their own thoughts, needs, dreams and believes. Golden Dreams This is the first piece of the collection. In this piece, the woman has found time for herself and she is dreaming about what she wants to achieve and getting decided to do it. She is facing her future, and also her past, and as the colors reflect, she has sadness but hope and believe. Nude Calm This woman is inspiren in a self-portrait of a Spanish photographer, Clara Ruiz (@byclararuiz), that I have always admired. This picture was inspirational for me, as the woman's pose reflects self-care and a lot of tenderness, and also finding a spot within herself to find peace and forgiveness. She feels at home in her own body. Nude colors represent calm and the birds are a symbol of freedom and tranquility, and also the waves and the beach in the background. Misty Night This is a mixed media piece, made mainly with inks, acrylics, oils, and some gold leaf. This is another artwork in the Woman on Chairs, and I have used a self-portrait photograph I made about two years ago. It is the first self-portrait I am painting. It has been a huge process for me, as I have had to face my own image. I have felt so good painting that, as I had forgotten my own beauty and I have been feeling closer to it during this process.