Are you ready to go behind the scenes with Maria from Alquicira Fine Art? She creates gorgeous acrylic and oil paintings– and you’ll never guess where she finds her inspiration! Today, she’s taking us through her inspiration, a step-by-step process for creating art, and a typical day-in-the-life for her! Let’s take a peek behind the canvas and learn about Alquicira Fine Art!
Hi Maria! Thanks for taking us behind the scenes! Where do you find inspiration for your art?
Books! There are chapters that make me want to create instantly. As I read, my mind starts creating a palette and after reading I start painting!
What a cool way to connect your own creativity to the inspiration you find in books! Do you plan for months before creating a new product, or do you create spontaneously?
I do have a weekly schedule to create. I divide my week between ongoing commissioned paintings and new collections.
That’s a great way to stay on track! Can you please walk us through a step-by-step process for creating your product?
*Reading books!
*I always take notes of quotes, feelings and ideas that the characters bring through their actions in the book.
*As I read, I start creating color palettes that will help me transfer my feelings and thoughts from the book to the canvas.
* Start creating!!!
Sounds like a fun process! What’s the most recent book you read?
The most recent book I’ve read is Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata. Lately, I’ve been having a lot of interest in Japanese authors. I think it’s because of the way they describe feelings. While I read they instantly make me think of colors. Like a color palette by scene or chapter.
I bet that makes it fun to paint! What’s your favorite book that inspired a piece of art for you? Can you talk us through how the book was reflected in the painting?
Actually, the last commission I made was inspired very much on that. I tried to portray the duality of love with its highs and lows (just as the characters in the book) so while the colors highly contrast with each other they still merge in movement, progress and evolution. That was the main message I got from this book.
I’ve also done some paintings inspired on Greek Mythological which I love reading about as well!
How lovely! It’s so special to see characters come alive on your canvas through color and technique! What does a typical day look like for you?
I wake up early to enjoy a walk with Jacinta, my husky dog! I check emails from Alquicira Fine Art and then I’m ready to start my corporate job at Cinepolis (a movie theater company!). Then at 6 pm a second walk with Jacinta and then off we go to create!! Then, of course, there are days when I have to do more admin work to make sure my business runs smoothly haha but I also enjoy that!
Your days sure are full, but it’s easy to see that you love what you do! Who’s the first person you show when you create a new piece?
My mom who used to paint too, and my closest friends for feedback.
It’s great to have trusted people to share your work with before making it public! We love sneak peeks! Can you let us in on any future products we can look forward to seeing on the shelves?
Yes! I’m going through an explosion of creativity focusing on freedom and not worrying too much so my collection Unfolding will soon be on the shelves of MMC! Here are a few sneak peeks:
We cannot wait to share Unfolding with our customers– we know they’ll love it as much as we do! Thanks so much for taking us behind the scenes and for being a part of the Mosaic Makers Collective!
Want to learn more about our makers or shop Mosaic Makers? Check out these additional resources:
- Visit our shop in the Bishop Arts District
- Go Behind the Scenes with more of our Mosaic Makers on the Blog