From my studio: Erika Seguín Colás

Erika Seguín Colás (Asturias, 1979) is a technical architect. In 2011 she decided to devote herself entirely to painting, something she has been tied to since childhood, when she began her artistic studies. She has taken part in a number of exhibitions around Spain and has also received many awards that vouch for the quality of her work.

When and why did you start painting?

I started painting as a girl, like so many other children, and I remember how happy it made me feel and almost the obsession and the desire I had to get better at the technique. I suppose the point was expression, an exercise in introspection in which, at that moment, the viewer's role wasn't important.

How do you think a gallery and its artists should help each other?

Honestly, as of today I don't know what the gallery-artist relationship is like in general, but in the near future I'd like to see for myself that the bond is good for both sides, that there is flexibility, communication and a will on the gallery's part to promote the artist, and commitment on the creator's part.

What advice would you give artists who are starting to show their artwork?

The same advice I give myself: don't betray yourself.

How did you sell your first artwork? Is there one you feel a stronger connection with?

For me there have been two first sales, because I've had two painting periods, very far apart in time: from my childhood until the age of eighteen, when I started studying to be a technical architect, and another one that began just three years ago, after a long stretch without painting. When I was a girl my father used to hang my paintings in the office where he worked, and someone took an interest in one of them. A few months ago I had my other first sale, which came about thanks to the way I share my artwork on my Facebook page.

I don't feel much attachment to my paintings. The finished artworks are part of the past and my intention is focused on that future in which I manage to put down something that really satisfies me, something I haven't achieved yet. The work I've done interests me as a way of tackling the next one with more assurance, energy and creativity, not for hanging on walls. If I have to choose one artwork, of course I pick one of the most recent ones, for example “manos”, which is part of a triptych.

What is art to you? What role does it play in your life? Do you make a living from art?

It has to do with expressing mystery, eroticism and death. My conclusion right now is that you need to “look” and to be aware that you're leaning over an abyss in search of answers, even if the result isn't the best.

Art is everywhere in my life because I'm desperate to find its codes, to express myself as I am through it, bravely, on a deep and primitive level. It's a goal, a dream I won't reach without hard work and experimentation.

Art gives me a lot, I can say that I live and feed on it and that it makes small details exciting, even if at this moment I don't get by financially on painting.

You have a very particular, recognisable style. Has it always been like this or have you had other periods?

There has always been a lot of myself in every painting or drawing I've made, and my style gets more personal all the time. I let myself go more in the execution, I'm more instinctive because I'm gaining confidence, but there hasn't been an abrupt change. In my case, so far, it's been a gradual process.

What are your sources of inspiration? Do you identify with any other artist?

There are many interconnections between different periods and artists from different fields (music, literature, painting…), because, I think, human beings have and always will have the same lights and shadows, longings and fears. Trying to clarify and glimpse this is thrilling. The search I've only just started is a very powerful source of inspiration.

I identify with plenty of artists: Goya, Kathe Kollwitz, David Hockney in the fifties, before Pop Art and before he used technology in his creations, Bourgeois, Giacometti, the drama of Rembrandt's paintings with his play of contrasts between light and shadow… and many more. I'm not aware that any one of them in particular has influenced me, but their powerful work has enriched me, no doubt about it.

In your creative process, do you have any habit, practice or quirk that's peculiar or curious?

I like painting at night and with music on. The different hours of the day, the light, work different energies on me. The stillness and solitude of the night make it easier for me to lose myself and tune in to whatever has no restrictions and pushes me to paint. I only give one or two sessions to each artwork, I like a painting to feel fresh.

Have you had an exhibition lately, what can you tell us? Do you have any project in mind?

I took part in a group exhibition in Madrid recently and the experience was positive. I have in mind to illustrate the September issue of a poetry magazine called Fake and to illustrate a book too, which is still being written. Bit by bit I intend to climb the steps and get excited about each small challenge.

You could recommend us:

• Un artista: Goya.
• Una obra: Cualquiera de sus pinturas negras.
• Un libro: Dos, por favor, un ensayo y un libro de poesía: Historia del diablo de Robert Muchembled y El rayo que no cesa de Miguel Hernández.
• Una película: La trilogía de Tres colores de Kieslowski.

We invite you to read this Review of Erika's artwork and her catalogue on Artelista.