An Interview with Mixed Media Artist Noli Española
Noli Española is a Filipino visual artist, muralist and art teacher. He went to FEATI University School of Fine Arts. As a mixed media artist, he works wonders on landscapes, brooks, nudes, still life, portraits, abstracts, underwater, and pen and ink.
Noli has already won several awards and recognition in art and painting competitions: Grandprize winner at the 12th Hispanidad Painting Competition sponsored by the Spanish Embassy, 1st prize at the Human Right’s Painting Competition, and an honorable mention at the 2nd Nationwide Electrification Administration Painting Competition to name a few. His fascinating pieces have also been featured in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Coffee Table Book publication.
To know more about the artist, below is our conversation by email:
Eds: How did you get with visual arts and what is your medium?
Noli Española: Mixed Media
Eds: Why did you choose mixed media as your medium?
Noli Española: I chose mixed media as this is a challenging medium for me.
Eds: Doesn’t painting require a certain level of inspiration?
Noli Española: Yes…it is and I mostly get my inspiration from Nature. I try to incorporate my art style with things I really cared about such as the environment, animals, and the beauty of farm life.
Eds: How do you go about choosing the subject?
Noli Española: I don’t choose any subject. I have no boundaries at all.
Eds: What kind of creative process or routines do you have?
Noli Española: No process, no routine…I don’t belive in that. I wanted to be spontaneous –when it comes it comes
Eds: What projects are you currently working on?
Noli Española: I just recently have an Art Exhibition and right now…I am already for preparing something new for next year. If I do an exhibition is not for the sake of simply having one, I work so hard on every aspect of creating something fresh or things I haven’t tried before.
Eds: How has your style changed over the years?
Noli Española: Yes…my style have changed over the years. An Artist shouldn’t stick to one medium or style. A true Artist should be versatile or flexible.
Eds: What’s the first painting or artwork you ever sold?
Noli Española: Watercolour and pen/ink mixed media.
Eds: How durable are your finished pieces?
Noli Española: An Artist should really invest in high quality paints and brushes. I always make sure the materials I used will last a long time. I value my clients/art collectors so much that I wanted them to have the very best.
Eds: What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
Noli Española: I do art tutorial lessons from time to time. (Adults and Children)
Eds: What advice can you give to the young and aspiring artists particularly with similar medium?
Noli Española: Be open to suggestions, don’t be so onion-skinned, constantly improve your art work, respect other Artist’s works and don’t let your ego rule your head.
Eds: Can you show us a photo of your desk/studio?
Noli’s 4th one-man art exhibition, PAKPAK Lawin is still ongoing. Find his latest mixed media paintings and get a piece of his creative soul at The Artes Gallery. Check out https://www.clickthecity.com/events/details.php?id=33169 for details.
For more information about the artist, visit: https://nolivespanola.wordpress.com/