Lola López Girón |Interview
Pictured: Artist Lola López Girón
“I encourage you to follow your heart and have no fears. For me, it is like a second life which gives me so much satisfaction and amazes me after finishing my teaching career.
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For Lola López Girón, watercolor is a second creative life, one discovered after years dedicated to teaching French. Her practice is guided by sensitivity, optimism and a deep love of beauty, with each painting becoming a way to translate atmosphere, colour and emotion into something quietly luminous.
In this interview, Lola reflects on the evolving nature of her artistic practice, the magic of watercolor, and the warmth of Seville as a source of inspiration. Speaking about her work Barrio de Santa Cruz, Sevilla, she shares how light, architecture and flowering bougainvillea come together to create a scene filled with intimacy, movement and positive energy. At the heart of her practice is a simple but powerful intention: to create work that carries feeling, beauty and “a little piece of my heart
Lola, how would you define your practice at this point in your journey? What feels most essential to your work right now?
I would say that my current practice is constantly evolving, learning new things and always experimenting with new themes and new forms. I think that is precisely what is most important and what gives me the most satisfaction: being aware of my own evolution each time I finish a watercolor.
Your paintings are described as cheerful, colorful, and sensitive. What does “positive energy” mean to you visually, and how do you bring that quality into a composition?
It is difficult for me to explain, as I am a very sensitive person and that is clearly reflected in my painting. It is something that comes naturally, without thinking. I am also optimistic and a great lover of beauty in general; I really like cheerful, vibrant colors, and I am aware that my watercolors convey precisely that: optimism, joy and beauty.
How does an artwork typically begin for you? What draws you to a scene, and how does it evolve into a finished watercolor?
First of all, I am attracted by the scene’s beauty, what it conveys to me. From there, I sometimes start sketching a rough outline in pencil of what I want to paint, and other times, I just start painting directly. Those of us who know how watercolor works may understand that, at the beginning and during the process, everything seems formless and purposeless; it is difficult to see what you want to paint. However, little by little, the scene emerges in a wonderful, almost miraculous way, until, suddenly, I have the feeling that it has been finished.
In Barrio de Santa Cruz, Sevilla, there is a strong sense of warmth, light, and quiet movement. What initially compelled you toward this setting?
The Santa Cruz neighborhood of Seville is precisely characterized by these qualities. Its streets are narrow, welcoming, and bright, thanks to the almost omnipresent sunlight in Seville, whose warmth permeates everything. One feels at ease, and that is something easily perceived in my city, which is what I have tried to capture in my watercolor.
Architecture, light, and flowering forms coexist harmoniously in this piece. How important is atmosphere in shaping your compositions?
Atmosphere is fundamental to watercolor painting, creating depth, realism, and emotion something I believe my watercolors convey, transforming a flat image into a vibrant, three-dimensional scene. I achieve this through soft, blurred, and pale colors that suggest distance in the background, and warm, saturated colors as the scene recedes into the viewer's eye. I use wet-on-wet techniques for blending and wet-on-dry for details, allowing the light and paper to merge seamlessly. As for the flowers (bougainvillea), they blend naturally and harmoniously into the composition, just as they appear in the streets of Seville.
After many years dedicated to teaching, how has that chapter of your life informed your approach to painting?
Actually, my teaching has nothing to do with watercolor painting. It was a wonderful discovery for me, one I stumbled upon by chance, although there is a reason for it all. I am a creative, sensitive person, gifted with my hands, and I have a great appreciation for beauty, delicacy, and charm. Both my parents painted, but I never had. It was a hidden gift within me, and it was a pleasant surprise.
How does this body of work sit within your wider artistic trajectory? Does it feel like continuity, refinement, or a subtle shift?
As I mentioned before, I enjoy painting different subjects, and my city, Seville, with all its world-renowned beauty, it is a constant source of inspiration for artists. Certainly, at first, painting Seville didn't occur to me because of its difficulty. However, I like challenges in painting, and with my own evolution and maturity as a watercolorist, what once seemed impossible now appears achievable.
What do you hope viewers experience when they encounter your work?
I hope you could feel a wide range of emotions and feelings, because that is what I express in my watercolors. I want you to see the beauty they convey, the opposite of indifference, because each of my watercolors carries within it a little piece of my heart.
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As your practice continues to evolve, what directions or questions are you currently drawn toward?
Watercolor painting has many techniques that you need to know well. Currently, I tend to use the "wet-on-wet" technique a lot, and I'm completely captivated by its magic.
For artists building a practice after another career or life chapter, what perspective would you offer from your own experience?
I encourage you to follow your heart and have no fears. For me, it is like a second life which gives me so much satisfaction and amazes me after finishing my teaching career.
If you were to distill your current artistic focus into a single sentence, what would it be?
My artistic approach is constantly evolving, and I hope it will always remain so.