Luisa Fernanda Niño

Written By Sasha Smith

Season 2 Episode 2

In this second episode of season two I chat with Luisa Fernanda Niño. Luisa is a self-educated artist whose work I’ve always admired. She’s also someone who came to art later in life at 41. Prior to that she was writing.

Luisa initially believed that drawing was something almost magical that one either had or didn't have, but she took some drawing courses and gained confidence in her ability to learn. 

However, she was also starting this new venture into drawing and painting around the same time that there was an explosion of courses and dialogue around making artwork that sells. She opened an Etsy shop, but she felt this pressure to sell her work caused her to skip the important process of discovering what and how she was meant to create.

Between 2014 and 2019, Luisa dedicated herself to self-education in various art techniques, but she realized she was only scratching the surface. In 2019 and 2020, she delved into art history, watched documentaries, and distanced herself from social media influences. This allowed her to focus on creating art that felt authentic rather than solely thinking about selling it.

Luisa experimented with different art mediums, ultimately returning to watercolors. As her skills developed, she embraced more freedom in using her materials, shedding the restrictive rules she initially imposed on herself. 

She also started writing her newsletter, "The Studio Chronicles," which served as a platform for exploring her thoughts and connecting with others.

We chat about Luisa’s journey as a self-taught artist, emphasizing the importance of self-education beyond technical skills to gain a deeper understanding of oneself as an artist and place in the art world. 

We discuss Luisa's current focus on solitude as a theme in her work, highlighting the beauty of being alone. Additionally, our chat covers the balance between the need for solitude and the desire for community. Luisa found a supportive artist community through her Patreon, where she shares real-time demonstrations of her work with various mediums.

Currently, Luisa is working on projects utilising zines or artist's books to combine her writing and artwork. In the coming months, she plans to further explore this intersection of creativity.

Sasha Smith
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Tracey Elizabeth Downing