As with other artists, my love for arts started even way before I knew that what I was doing was arts. I thought the label was only reserved for the murals in museums, the marble sculptures of the maestros, and the incomprehensible hodgepodge of paint and ideas of the contemporary artists. For me, I was just doodling. It was an escape from academics, a breather from all the achievements I thought I SHOULD chase. My “arts” was just for me.
I started sharing it with people in 2017. Several months after that, I got the courage to call myself an artist. I have always been a women of Science, but as of 2017, I started telling people that “I’m also an artist.”
I started with landscapes, floral paintings, watercolor sketches. My favorite subjects were plants and animals. It was that time when selfie was becoming so popular, that I became too nauseated with seeing faces everywhere. So I thought I’d capture the beauty of other living things on the planet.
I haven’t had much success with painting faces anyway. When people ask me to draw them, they’re always obsessed with their realistic rendition. They were looking for a photograph of their faces in graphite. I just didn’t like that.
But I also like the human form, not its likeness, but how it moves, how the muscles and the movements can be found in other creatures. I wanted to draw humans as a part of the larger earth. Of course I would need to practice more on that. Currently, I’m doing the Figuary challenge by LoveLifeDrawing and the Croquis Cafe. It has been and up and down journey for me, but I’m already halfway through.
Despite the discouragement of some people in my life, I managed to do it, and I’m proud of myself for that.
I also like a certain color palette for my paintings. To be honest, I still don’t know what my style is, and I think it will take a while for my style to find me. However, I’m showing up almost everyday for my muse. I hope that speeds up the process a bit, but I’m not complaining. My muse is free to visit me whenever.
I have a vague idea of what I want to immortalize in my drawings. I also know the colors that make me happy. I just don’t have the faculties yet to draw the pieces as I like. I’m like a cook who knows the final dish but is still looking for the ingredients.
Maia Enriquez 
Interesting choices!
Some 45 years ago I started out with faces and humans. I drew exactly what I saw and the photographic likeness was big, I drew my sister, neighbourhood kids, posters of famous people and even death masks of ancient Egyptian princesses. later some buildings, garden, etc. When I look at these drawings (the only ones which haven’t disappeared, I moved so much and even across the ocean), what amazes me is how closely I caught the character of whatever. I didn’t have an idea about perspective, but all lines are perfectly matching what it should be.
It was so that nobody ever taught me or told me to draw or how to do that.I didn’t have any art supplies either, I was drawing on wrapping paper even.
It’s kind of unusual you started with landscapes because most young people want to draw faces and figures, but they cannot see proportions, angles and they have no idea about anatomy.
Drawing is seeing. Nowadays most beginners simply copy a photo and call it drawing. So, it’s good to have your own style. For me personally, drawing from real anything is the easiest.
It’s too bad that they promote only digital, animation, abstracts and hyperrealism. Animated so-called paintings are everywhere, they seem so similar and, thus, boring.
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Yes, it was that time when all I could see in my social media feed are my friends’ selfie photos. I think that was what prompted me to paint other subjects other than the human face. I’ve never been one to appreciate the hyper-realistic artworks, but I strive to achieve that certain “likeness”. I stil am. 🙂
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Very nice. I like the flower field. Nice “depth of field” (profondeur de champs”) and combination of colour strokes…
The elephant is good too. (They’re not so easy to draw, I know by experience)
Portraits? Don’t force your hand. It’ll come or not. Remember: let the hand make the choices…
And I like that some colours make you happy. Hadn’t thought of that.
Keep painting.
Cheers.
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Wow, nice works! Keep it up💛✊
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That’s so interesting. I would love to draw the human form, but at the moment, as a beginning artist, I’m sketching scenes instead. Loved this post. Thanks for sharing, Maia!
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You’re most welcome, Stuart! I still struggle with a lot of subjects, but we gotta start somewhere, right? Just keep going. I’m learning with you 😀
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