I received a surprise message from Argentine artist, Estela Cuadro, who wanted to share with us her day in the studio. So let’s talk art, music, and inspiration from Buenos Aires–her words, her story.

When I start my day in my studio, I want to listen to some music… It nourishes my imagination, it motivates me.

…I feel pleasure in that.  I feel like I never want to stop doing this. It´s part of my life.

When I begin a new artwork I used to use a special cardboard that allows the pigments and water to react in a special way; giving textures, shapes, deformations and then letting my imagination act freely.

I used lots of techniques, like pencil, small coal and oil. Especially when I was young.  Nowadays I like to use more than one technique at the same time, and make different results.

I use India ink with salt, and I let them act freely on the support. I use other things to generate texture, and I use oil painting, pencils and pens to realize details.

If I had to pick a style for my art,  it would be quite difficult. Perhaps I associate my work with surreal art.  My characters and their environment have nothing to do with reality.

The distorted reality is part of my inspiration, my contacts and my experiences. My artwork is based on the unconscious – all associated with my dreams, relationships & with life itself.

I don´t try to tell stories in my artwork. My work isn’t the realization of an illustration for a story, book or magazine (with a text behind the artwork).

There are always ideas or suggestions (of a story) but it’s not a literal sort of story. I take fun in other people’s freedom in interpretation.

I feel that it is important to feel total freedom without restriction and without much precise meaning. I like to leave the interpretation of each piece to each person, you can get carried away like I do in every piece of art. 

I think each work has something special, they are part of my “games”, my pleasures. 

When I talk about a “game” in relation to my work as an artist, I mean that’s the way that I have fun with the characters, animals and plants when my playfulness arise. You’re letting it flow! So you have to let go of the restrictions and really play with everything that is created, generating a new and unique artwork.

I would say that the (core) passion about art, is to feel free, to have your mind open to all the things new that can appear.

Thanks,

ESTELA CUADRO

For more information on Estela Cuadro and her art, visit her Tumblr page and follow her on Facebook.

Thanks again to Estela for sharing her story.

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