We recently connected with Maria-Victoria Checa and have shared our conversation below.
Maria-Victoria , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I am not sure I have a purpose per say! I think I have found and understand what makes me happy: I love to paint in a way that I can create an image that is hopefully mesmerizing and visually beautiful. When I create an impressionist piece like a flower field or water lilies I love to dig deep inside of myself and push until I create a space on canvas that is going to bring feelings of peacefulness, elation or maybe serenity. I love when some of my followers on Instagram comment on how a painting reminds them of warm memories of their childhood or of one of their favorite places to go to.
When I create an abstract piece, again I like to think and visualize the intricacies of the shapes, lines and colors as a whole and as single entities. In my abstracts I am more focused on creating movement, instability and elicit the idea of change on my canvas. I am not scared of change. I try to embrace the challenges that come with change and make the best of it always.
So is my purpose to create these paintings? I think maybe my purpose is the voyage of exploration that comes with creating them. I am most of the time by myself in my studio imagining these bits of paradise in my mind or visualizing these moving pieces in an abstract painting. I love it!
This being said I am open to new adventures and exploring other fields of expression if the opportunity comes my way.
Another big part of my day is talking to my kids everyday via facetime and hanging out with my partner. So family definitely defines me as well.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a self taught oil and acrylic painter. I started painting in 2018 for practical reasons: to create large abstract pieces to stage my house for rent. I had never painted before. I loved the process! I learned to use oils, acrylics and watercolors on my own mostly by watching youtube tutorials and by reading books about composition and color theory. I opened an instagram and facebook account in November 2018. I started posting my paintings and some family members and friends started asking me about buying them. I was teaching math part time at American University and Montgomery College back then so I couldn’t paint everyday. Once I started selling more paintings mostly on Facebook, I decided to become a full time artist in January 2022. My instagram account took off and I started selling a lot via Instagram.
BecauseI have been painting more consistently since being an artist full time, I believe I have continued to make great progress in my skills.
One of my water lily paintings, Fairy’s Cove II is part of the decor at the Chicago Waldorf Astoria. Two of my flower fields have been reproduced on large canvases and are sold at Home Goods and TJ Max throughout the US. So these small victories motivate me to continue exploring my skills.
I focus a lot on Claude Monet inspired water lily paintings. I love to work with tones of blues, greens and purples. I love to create a space (or cove) that transports you to a peaceful refuge where the sound of nature and of your own breathing are there to accompany you.
I also love to create intricate abstract paintings that make you feel like something is about to fall or to rotate or move on the canvas! It’s kind of the opposite of the feelings I like to evoke in a water lily or impressionist painting. I think it is part of my personality: I love the peacefulness that comes with working alone all day, focusing and letting my mind wander in serene corners that I then try to recreate. Meanwhile I love the idea of reacting to new situations, the stress of change and the surprises that come with wandering into new territories and erring.. Thats what motivates my abstract pieces most of the time. Sometimes that are more geometric and more in tune maybe with my math background.
I am always open to commissions. You are more than welcome to contact me and inquire about a painting you would like commissioned in a different size or color.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
– perseverance: stay at it, push and stay at it. And again the next day, and again! LOL – making mistakes: I am never scared of taking risks (on my canvas!) and making mistakes! Actually every time I have made mistakes is when I have learnt a new skill or technique! That means sometimes putting at risk an area of the painting or actually the whole entire painting at risk. And I have sometimes worsened a painting instead of improving it.. but most of the time, it was the right decision and i think i bring the artwork closer to what I have in mind.
– eye for art: I think a certain eye and appreciation for what makes an artwork alive is essential. It could be the esthetic quality of the artwork. or the sensation one feels when looking at it, or the mental teasing that comes from its complexity or its social message.. I guess the artwork becomes a transpose of the artist’s intention to the viewer.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Would love more space and time! I love my studio space in DC, but I need more space! I would love to create more large scale abstract artworks. I am really excited about working with oils, acrylics, fluid acrylics and watercolors, but its challenging to work in four different media. It’s challenging to switch between them and it’s challenging to manage the colors and keep them tidy. I welcome the challenge but I need to work better at keeping my studio organized.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mvchecaart.com/
- Instagram: mvcheca.art
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063494853777
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-victoria-checa-b3a64a87/
