This week in our Conversations in Colour series, we speak to artist Antonia Figueiredo on her love for colour and life as an artist.
What colours are you particularly attracted to and why?
I have always been very partial to red and pink. Add a little blue to the mix and you have the selection of colours I use in the majority of my works. I love how soft and powerful they can be, at the same time they can work together and still stand out on their own. You can do a lot with that, which makes me very excited!
Tell us about your art, your process and who or what inspires you most.
My art is something that is very intimate to me. I come from a family of artists and have never worked outside of the art field. Even though I never really thought I would be making my own art, it's like I never knew anything other than this reality. So when I did start creating things that came from me, especially with painting, it was really important for me to allow it to be as raw as I could allow it to be. So in my process I really make an effort to let mistakes be incorporated, to work with whatever feels right at the moment, whatever materials I have close to me. I believe that creativity is a muscle, and you don’t know when that famous kiss of the muses will come and the immaculate artistic flow will begin. That means you always have to be prepared for when that moment comes, so you can allow for it to take place and stay for as long as it wants. That comes with mistakes, and unexpected unplanned turns that, to me, only make the creative process a lot more fun to live through. I like to start with a plan, a direction. I do a digital version of what I want my paintings to look like and when I sketch that on to the canvas, I no longer look at the digital version as reference, I allow for what’s in front of me to lead the way!
I find life to be very inspiring, especially when you pay attention to what’s around us, and I guess that’s the trick, to know how. No two days are alike, everything is moving in its own vibration, the people I surround myself with, the places I go, everything is and can be a huge source of inspiration. I also spend a lot of time on the internet, there is a lot of amazing things in this giant archive we call the word wide web.
Does your love of colour translate into other parts of your life?
Definitely! That is actually what first attracted me to Dora Larsen’s lingerie! A pop of colour will always speak to me. I’m not the kind of artist that dresses head to toe in colourful everything, but I always, definitely am wearing at least one thing that is colourful, even if its something intimate.
When did you start working as an artist?
I started when I was 21, so 5 years ago. I started doing a lot of fashion campaigns with my digital art. I worked with brands such as LA mer, Facebook, Airbnb, Drew Barrymore, Bulgari. In the last year I started painting, and now I live a perfect middle between the two!
Is it what you have always wanted to do?
Yes and no, I never imagined that I would be working with my own art. I was my mother’s agent in my early days, and I imagined that I would do that for as long as I could think of, but I saw the opportunity of starting something I have never done before, when I moved Lisbon 5 years ago, I was moving to a new country, just me and my husband, we didn’t know anyone in the city so I thought that was the perfect time to see if putting my art out in the world would work, I thought that if it didn’t work out, no now would know and I could just move on like nothing happened, but it did work, and I am very grateful for that!
Where can we see your work?
I share all of my work on social media, I’m there very often, so my instagram is definitely the best way to keep up with all the goodies! @af.illustrations
What's coming up next for you?
I have many exciting things coming!! The one I can talk about right now is my next painting Solo Show in Paris at DAR Gallery starting January 4th!
Shop Antonia's edit here.
Find Antonia here.
