Azucena Barrios

"The inclination for any artistic endeavor or for any specific technique may be inherited, however, style and ability are something far more individual and personal. I grew up watching my father at work. His name was Ignacio Barrios and he was a painter who worked in watercolors. This is how I grew up wanting to be an artist and how I began painting with watercolors. <br><br>"However, when I began my professional studies I realized that I could not be bound by the teachings and influence of my father and so I sought out other masters willing to share their experience and knowledge with me. Claudette Eyssautier taught a workshop in live human drawing, and the well-known painter, Luis Nishizawa showed me how to seek out the secrets and possibilities of all materials available to students and professionals of the fine arts. <br> <br> "I work with diverse techniques, but I find I am far more spontaneous when working with watercolors. I paint wet on wet, which means one has to paint very quickly, without being able to make changes. I know my materials well, I use heavy paper that is wet completely before I start painting. I allow the watercolor to speak to me, and the most appealing things about this particular technique are the unexpected stains or forms which emerge on their own and which I then integrate into the painting. <br> <br>"I don't like to force the color, and I try to listen when the watercolor takes its own course and the unexpected happens. I try to maintain a loose stroke and paint on first intentions. I don't believe in inspiration as a romantic ideal, I have done beautiful work when I am both sad and happy. <br> <br> "I have now learned that every instant is my 'eternal present,' and I try to extract all the universal energy that so that I can express myself to the best of my ability. I am always on the search for spontaneity, a wonderful trait so hard to find nowadays - humanity seems to have lost the ability for it. I paint so that I am beyond limits, social prejudices, programs or restrictions. <br> <br> "I am the daughter of an honest woman who taught me to respect all living beings, especially plants and animals. I am the daughter of a woman of the mestizo race as it says in her birth notice. She is hope and has given me the same love of integrity as she has."