Inside the Creative Process of Artist Lara Fdez | iCanvas
Written in her own words, this guest blog from Lara Fdez offers a firsthand look into her creative process, from how she approaches color to the techniques and emotions behind each piece.
I always wanted to paint. As a teenager I enrolled in an arts high school, and when I finished I wanted to go into graphic design. My family steered me toward computer science instead, another passion of mine, and over the years I became a cybersecurity analyst.
My creative side never went away. When the pandemic hit, I finally picked up a brush and started painting with watercolor. Watercolor is not an easy technique: it demands practice and a willingness to trust the process. Then a couple of years ago I discovered squeegee painting, and I fell in love.
What I love most is watching how colors interact with each other through the transparency the technique creates. Learning how each color behaves depending on what’s next to it. It’s a constant exercise in observation. The technique doesn’t allow for much control, and that’s precisely what I need, to let go, to stop needing to manage everything. I believe color is a wonderful way to express yourself, and that’s what I try to do with every piece I make.
Inside My Process
Alegría (Joy)
Alegría is one of the pieces I’m most proud of. I think it has a really complete richness of color: the pinks, the coral, that very light blue, and a note of neon yellow that always makes the piece pop. I painted it with that intention in mind, that the emotion it generates when you look at it would be the whole point. The finishing touch is a sinuous line that runs through the composition and makes the whole piece feel more organic.
Radiance
Radiance is the first piece I made that went viral on Instagram. Over 10 million views and 100k likes speak for themselves. I’ve made many variations of this piece since then, and this palette is always one of the favorites. Yellows, oranges, pinks, blues and neon are colors that work beautifully together and genuinely catch the eye. This piece carries a lot of weight in the story of the artist I am today.
Via Merulana
Via Merulana — it’s no secret that I often title my pieces after the music I’m listening to while I paint. In this case I was listening to an album about a journey to Rome, and Via Merulana is a street in the city. The light, calm colors remind me of what it feels like to walk through Rome’s beautiful streets. Color choice is never accidental for me. I spend a lot of time thinking and testing how each color works, visualizing the combination in my head before I even start. This piece is joyful too, but from a place of calm.
Paused
Paused is not the kind of palette I usually reach for. I don’t often work with neutral or muted colors, but stepping outside your comfort zone is how you grow as an artist, and every now and then I push myself to explore palettes that aren’t so vivid. In this case I also left out any neon accents to keep the mood more understated. What makes the piece stand out on its own is the contrast between the colors: the ochre and the pink, a muted green, and that buff titanium pulling toward a greenish tone. Sometimes a quieter palette speaks just as loudly.
Marshmallow
Marshmallow came out of a 25-day color challenge I set for myself, where I pushed to create 25 color studies that each told me something different. They’re still colors I use in my work, but in this case I went for different shades, more pastel. Where the pinks and blues meet and blend, incredibly rich and beautiful tones appear. I wasn’t sure about adding a neon accent, but it turned out to be the right call because the piece speaks for itself. The colors reminded me of childhood, of marshmallow candy, and that’s where the name came from.
Closing Thoughts
What I love most about my process is that every day I learn something new about colors and how they talk to each other. I like that even though I need a certain level of control, there’s always something unexpected: the paint doesn’t behave the way I want, or a line doesn’t appear the way I had in mind, and I can’t go back because you can’t paint over what’s already there. You have to let go of rigidity, and that is almost therapeutic.
What I hope people feel when they see my work is peace, calm and joy. That’s what I think about when I paint, and what I want to reflect in every piece.
Thank you for taking the time to look inside my process. If any of these pieces resonated with you, you can find them all available on iCanvas. I hope they bring a little color and joy into your home.