An Interview with Lorena Eloizaga

• WHAT ARTISTIC TECHNIQUES AND MEDIUMS DO YOU SPECIALIZE IN?

 

THE TECHNIQUE THAT I USE THE MOST IS ACRYLIC ON BOTH CURED AND RAW CANVAS. I ENJOY THE VIBRANCY OF THE COLORS AND THE TEXTURE THEY CREATE ON EACH SURFACE.

 

 

 

MY CREATIVE PROCESS BEGAN WHEN I STUDIED THE NATURE AND THE LANDSCAPE THAT SURROUNDED ME. I ENJOY ANALYZING THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS AND TEXTURE THAT THE ENVIRONMENT PRESENTS, AND I WANT TO REINTERPRET THEM. I LIKE TO SKETCH THESE OBSERVATIONS, PLAYING WITH SHAPES, COLORS, AND TEXTURE TO CREATE MY OWN SYMBOLOGY. IN THE END, IT BECOMES A NEW REINTERPRETATION OF NATURE REFLECTING MEMORIES OF MY LIFE.

 

• HOW DO YOU STAY UPDATED ON CURRENT TRENDS IN THE ART WORLD? DO YOU ACTIVELY SEEK OUT NEW INFLUENCES OR STYLES?

 

TRAVELING, FOR ME, IS THE KEY TO INFLUENCING MY OWN ARTISTIC STYLE. FOR EXAMPLE, LAST YEAR, I SPENT FIVE MONTHS EXPLORING CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, INCLUDING SINGAPORE, THAILAND, HONG KONG, TAIWAN, AND JAPAN. EXPERIENCING THE NATURE, CITIES, TRAFFIC, FOOD, DAY-TO-DAY LIFE, AND COLORS OF EACH COUNTRY IS INCREDIBLY INSPIRING. HAVING SPENT TWENTY YEARS OF MY LIFE IN SOUTH AMERICA AND NOW ANOTHER TWENTY IN EUROPE, I BELIEVE THAT BLENDING COUNTRIES AND CULTURES IS THE ESSENCE OF MY WORK. I VIEW US ALL AS MIGRATORY BIRDS, CAPABLE OF APPRECIATING THE MAGIC OF EACH CULTURE. IN ADDITION, I FIND YOUTUBE TO BE A GREAT RESOURCE FOR STAYING UPDATED ON CURRENT TRENDS. I LOVE THAT I CAN WATCH THE LATEST ART FAIRS WORLDWIDE, TAKE VIRTUAL TOURS OF NEW EXHIBITIONS IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, EXPLORE ARTISTS' STUDIOS, AND WITNESS THEIR CREATIVE PROCESSES. FOR ME, IT'S VERY INSPIRING.

I THINK THAT MORE THAN FOLLOWING TRENDS, MY WORK HAS BEEN AN EVOLUTION OF EXPERIMENTING WITH SHAPES AND COMPOSITIONS WITHIN MYSELF, FEELING HAPPY WHEN I AM PAINTING AND ENJOYING THE PROCESS OF CREATION.

 

• WHAT DOES ART MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY? HOW DOES YOUR CONNECTION TO ART INFLUENCE YOUR WORK?

 

TO ME, ART IS LIKE MY CHILD—INTIMATE AND PERSONAL. IT SERVES AS A CREATION THAT REPRESENTS MEMORIES AND EMOTIONS FROM MY LIFE.

 

• HOW DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE WILL FEEL OR REACT WHEN THEY EXPERIENCE YOUR ART?

 

I THINK THE REACTION AND FEELING THAT EACH SPECTATOR HAS IN FRONT OF MY WORK ARE VERY PERSONAL, BUT I HOPE THAT MY WORK WILL BRING JOY, FUN, AND HAPPINESS, BRINGING GOOD EMOTION INSIDE THEMSELVES.

 

 

 

MY ART IS LIKE MY CHILD, A CONSTANT PRESENCE IN MY LIFE TO WHICH I CONTINUE TO INVEST MY ENERGY AND EMOTIONS. PAINTING, SKETCHING, DEVELOPING NEW CONCEPTS, PROJECTS, AND IDEAS SERVE AS THE ENGINE OF MY LIFE. I HAVE BEEN PAINTING SINCE CHILDHOOD, DEDICATING MY LIFE TO DEVELOPING MY OWN STYLE, MERGING THE THREE WORLDS THAT INFLUENCE ME AS AN ARTIST: MY YOUTH IN COLOMBIA IN SOUTH AMERICA, MY ADULTHOOD IN EUROPE, AND MY ONGOING CONNECTION WITH ASIA.

 

• WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ASPIRING ARTISTS WHO ARE JUST STARTING THEIR CREATIVE JOURNEY?

 

I WOULD ADVISE THEM NOT TO GET LOST IN ADULT LIFE AND TO CONTINUE WORKING, INVESTING THEIR FREE TIME AND MONEY TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN STYLE.

 

• IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU WERE STARTING OUT AS AN ARTIST?

 

YES, PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF TECHNIQUES AND PAINTINGS. IT MIGHT TAKE A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR EXPERIMENTATION, BUT THROUGH THE PROCESS AND LEARNING FROM MISTAKES, I HAVE ACTUALLY DISCOVERED AND DEVELOPED MY OWN UNIQUE STYLE.