Bearded Iris III Painting

My name is Augusta Alvarez, I was born and raised in Riobamba, a small town in Ecuador. I moved to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, 13 years ago and have lived here ever since. I love this city because it is full of life and it has given me many opportunities to develop as a person and as an artist. I discovered my artistic vocation in childhood. I have painted since I was very young. I was fortunate to learn with my talented grandmother, whom I always remember fondly and deeply miss. Over time, I developed the techniques combining my academic and work activities with courses, workshops and a lot of self-taught experimentation. I keep experimenting and make sure that each painting I paint constitutes a new challenge for me. When they ask me what inspires me it's a bit difficult for me to answer because almost everything inspires me. In short, I would say that life inspires me. The shoots that take root, the plants that bear fruit, the buttons that open and flourish, the animals and their inexhaustible tenderness and innocence, the sun, the rain, the mountains, the earth. I intensely love life in all its shapes and sizes. I am inspired by the generous natural beauty that surrounds us and that we rarely stop to admire. The joy that observing nature causes me and my deep respect for life are the feelings that I try to capture in my work. I prefer yellow, green and white, but I need the variety of colors around me and in my paintings. I love to paint in any way, but mostly I paint with acrylic on canvas and watercolor on paper. They are two completely different techniques and it is impossible for me to choose one as my favorite. Painting with watercolors implies painting slowly, being patient, waiting and, in general, keeping a calm rhythm, the process cannot be accelerated; acrylics are the opposite, you have to paint very quickly because the paint dries quickly, it is a technique that liberates, that moves you to action. I choose one or the other depending on my mood. In more meditative times I prefer to paint with watercolors, doing it is a therapy for me, it relaxes me and calms my mind. Instead, I use acrylics when I need to vent, when I need to move, I transfer all my energy to the canvas and enjoy the mess I usually cause with this technique. Regardless of the technique, I put my soul in each work that I paint and I wish with all my heart that my work infects you with the joy and inspiration with which I have created it.