I spent my childhood drawing and painting. I didn’t really know how to engage with the outdoors or computer games, so drawing offered me that space where I could lose myself and crate my own stories; making up narratives has been a favourite pastime since a very young age. I believe that changing circumstances push you to see life in a different way. Moving to London definitely had an impact on my life, which was then transformed into a sort of energy and motivation to work in the studio. Then, I started showing the work and it had a very good response. For me, this was a very concentrated period of time where all I did was think about and look at art and culture. This ultimately had a direct influence on my practice. I worked relentlessly to find my aesthetic and what exactly interests me most when it comes to my art and the subjects I explore.

I am not too sure if the artist gets empowered by the use of Instagram, but I certainly feel there are certain hierarchies in the art world that might be affected by the impact of social media. Potentially, nowadays every creative has the facility to share their work, the same way that buyers can find new talent and contact the artist directly. The terms and conditions of being a collector, dealer, gallery and artist are being constantly redefined. I have used Social Media (Instagram) to help build an identity, and to create a network. Now, I like to use it to engage with the audience and to see what their reaction is. Somehow, using the online platform to talk about media creates a very intriguing dialogue. I must admit, I am a speedy content consumer, but with the firm intention to shorten the daily doses.

I have always been very keen in observing different aspects of being a human and the characters and scenarios are based on my life observations. Recently the work has been more conditioned by my mood so in some ways they are more autobiographical. I took the last series My Dear Demons as a cathartic process where I have been digesting my own outlook on life and my connection with others. Another example is “Cristina” a multiple self-portrait; a vision of myself as an outsider looking at different stages of my life. I could say that I position myself less like an observer, and I am now more engaged in the narrative as an actual component/participant within it.

When I encounter a period of emotional intensity, I think it shows in my work. I have been thinking a lot about how we live life and social concepts around family, growing up, and having kids. I have been drawn into the conversation by talking to myself and then looking to see what is happening. This is what I have done with the painting “Cristina” in which all the women (me) are looking at the woman I am at this moment in time. They are comforting and supporting me, which is a visual metaphor for all the things that have happened in my life and have helped shape who I am today. I guess, without experiencing the darkness you can’t appreciate the light. The self-portrait is a metaphor for our obsession with selfhood/individualism, a critique on how we are constantly trying to evaluate how others and we see us. I am interested in recording and remembering what I am.

That first title I got out of listening to a song from Spanish flamenco singer Camaron de la Isla. I have a great fascination in listening to his voice. It is so dramatic and passionate; it takes my mind off of other thoughts, and really drives me to focus on my painting. In general, I choose the titles in a very impulsive way. I understand them as one more component of the painting so let’s say I select them by instinct. They have to sound right to me! I often play with mixing Spanish and English words – in a quirky way. Sometimes the title gives information about the scene and others it simply serve as a starting point for the viewer to create his/her own story, which is very important for me, as it often transforms into a portal of new observation and experiences for the outsider.

Although I can see that both the forms and the colours of the painting change with each piece in an organic way, I would say that the heaviness has always been a characteristic of my distorted bodies. I like to think that providing these women with exaggerated forms emphasises their character, power, and confidence – they occupy the canvas unapologetically and stand proudly, representing how we want women to represent themselves in the 21^st century.

Well, I try to connect with how I feel and the things that I have in my head, and from there, I put it together in a picture. This image normally comes out as a narrative about something that disturbs me. I like to collect drawings in a sketchbook, which are studies of people, but I don’t necessarily need a reference in front of me, so I work a lot from memory. I prefer this, and often try to avoid realism. I also use data as a resource to find images. Everything starts with the drawings, and then I pick and translate them into my paintings. I have not been very good recently on following up with a routine, but when I am painting I like to have the whole day in front of me, otherwise I get very conscious about the time, and I feel that affects how I approach the work.

I am interested in depicting everyday scenes that are familiar to the 21 st century spectator. I do this by creating characters that the viewer will recognise in some way or another. I look at fashion as a way of creating identities that I feel reflect who I am – I also find inspiration from the people I spend my time with. So, this is what you can see in “Shopping” with the tattooed arms, or through the specific brands I use in many of the paintings, such as “Cash Only” or “Cristina”.

We have had a very hot summer in London, and I had a different, warm light in the studio that I didn’t have before. Ochre and a beautiful orange tinted the walls. I believe this has had an influence on my most recent work. And because of the nature of the paintings, I wanted to recreate a certain light, which helped me to transfer a tender, close and intimate atmosphere.

I want to combine work and travel as much as possible.

I am presenting a series of works on paper called “My Dear Demons”. For this, I have taken a step further, and am looking at how I feel about life – understanding “demons” as I fight with my own thoughts, doubts, insecurities, as well as social and personal pressures that we are all faced with on a day-to-day basis. I am particularly interested in creating an emotional connection with the viewer by being more specific with this recent work. I like that drawing offers me a less conscious process to depict memories. Drawing is very intuitive and automatic for me, and I like the spontaneity that it entices within me. A collection of drawings that I create in the space of a week will tell you how my brain has been over the course of that particular period!