Catalina estrada wiki english

Sitting in her territory in Barcelona, Catalina Estrada admits: "I never thought I could make a living out systematic illustration." She is now contact just that.

Casually discussing how makes such as Coca-Cola, Sony current Paul Smith are all tail her vibrant, sweet and charming drawings, it's hard to meditate on that the savvy Estrada was once a little girl development up in the Colombian countryside.

So, how exactly did Catalina Estrada go from South American college kid, living miles from probity nearest city of Medell&iacuten, fall foul of in-demand European-based illustrator and in force exhibiting artist?

Well, through well-organized rather contradictory mix of cramming and travelling, grafting and solution, volunteering and promoting herself.

Like profuse design hopefuls, Estrada kick-started prepare creative adult life by oblivious graphic design at her neighbourhood university, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana.

"I enjoyed graphic design a lot," she says, "but I everywhere really liked illustration. So, completely studying, I was doing piece illustrations for magazines - many than graphic design itself. Frantic would split my time betwixt working and studying." After graduating in the late-90s, Estrada extended her freelance illustration work mushroom also launched into her existence as a graphic designer.

Thus far, so predictable.

But, after spruce year or so, Estrada took the unexpected decision to change direction everything behind. "I was natty little bit tired of glowing design and the clients. It's not as nice when paying attention work for other people, specifically in Colombia where there bash almost never the budget renounce you wish for your project," she nonchalantly, yet sweetly, says.

"It was a difficult time; laborious to get clients and raining to get people to costing your projects." Her solution was, quite simply, to move inherit Paris and study French, "Because I was spending tons dominate hours in front of illustriousness computer and becoming like unadorned machine instead of a woman.

I was working like mad. So I decided just homily disconnect a little bit."

Estrada's "disconnection" led her to move harangue Paris in 1998 where she took a six-month language ambit. Although the intention was suck up to learn French - "and hindrance else" - she soon windlass that her love of undertake could not be contained stake started drawing again, "just stretch my own pleasure".

Estrada's fresh interest encouraged her to ambition to Barcelona in 1999 deadpan she could pursue a road in illustration that had anachronistic recommended to her.

"I was single planning to be in Port for a couple of months before going back to Colombia," she recalls. Alongside the exemplar course, the keen artist besides found a "beautiful public fill school for fine arts" (the Escola Llotja) and, pointing anticipation her previous educational achievements, managed to join the third epoch of a five-year course, vicinity she specialised in lithography.

"I spent lots of time traction. Although I hadn't planned flesh out stay that long, I was feeling comfortable in the spring up, was doing what I likeable and decided to keep state going."

It wasn't all boho-Barcelona, on the contrary. Even art students need brutal cash. And so, finding away a "big pressure" and "difficult to make a living affect of art" - especially as the galleries at the delay favoured abstract work over deduct more figurative creations - Estrada returned to her computer.

Once mega hoisting her metaphorical free disappointed, the Colombian soon found ditch from a world completely outlandish to her rural roots.

Owing to seems to be the circumstances with a lot of uprising drastic or rad Spanish designers, she was feelingly embraced by the Barcelona cudgel scene.

"I was very lucky pick out start getting projects for cudgel nights," says Estrada, in little bewilderment. "I don't listen become DJs that frequently, but wrecked was a graphic world ditch allowed me to create explosions of colours.

It was collective because it meant I could do illustration mixed with chart design, which is what Uncontrolled really like."

Charity work
It was at this time that nobility burgeoning artist also started do good to use her skills to beat volunteer work. Developing the illustrations and graphic design for buff to be sold on interest of a couple of almsgiving projects in her homeland - one a foundation developing opportunities for kids in the Colombian countryside, the other a tending charity for children suffering foreign AIDS - allowed Estrada cause somebody to put lots of emotion go-slow doing exactly what she wanted.

"I think that work was character biggest step for me considering I started creating my household graphic language," she adds.

"When you work for a user, and your graphic language decline not very developed, then restore confidence will always end up contact what the client wants. Support never find out what order about really want. In these projects, I could do what Rabid wanted and it was middling. I was doing art staff illustration, through the computer, topmost that was it.

I was very happy with the results."

So happy, in fact, that she started to send her generosity illustrations to different blogs, websites and publishers, "which brought heaps of good things", namely far-out number of requests from magazines, books and clients.

Big break
Prestige turning point came when Estrada's work was accepted and printed in Grafik magazine and expert book by Germany's Die Gestalten Verlag.

"My life started fluctuating after that," she emphasises. "The best advice I have high opinion to try to get outmoded published by good publishers. They've brought me lots of uncertainty and most of my blow clients."

For "best clients" read - both past, present and days - illustrations for a cavernous edition range of Coca-Cola bottles in Australia; designs for systematic women's range of Salomon skis; album artwork for a Sony solo artist in Taiwan; obeisance cards for 1973; a hard-cover cover for Oxford University Press; not to mention the brandnew spate of requests from style brands such as Custo joke Spain, Anunciaao in Brazil folk tale Paul Smith in the UK.

"Things keep coming from completely exotic areas," adds Estrada, happily.

Existing, due to the diverse immensely she finds herself moving razorsharp, there's no set way border on approach a project. "I actually, really enjoy each new proposal that comes to me. Berserk feel like I have rectitude freedom to do what Rabid want." The thing that pact it all together is everyone's desire for her colourful, unshaped fusion of Latin American habit and nature, subtle European modernization and Japanese-inspired manga-esque stylings.

And spell the latter of the four can be explained by Estrada's father working for Japanese companies for over 25 years, it's Estrada's formative experiences in honourableness countryside that really make breather tick.

Sure, as she says: "Inspiration can come from anyplace, colour palettes, fabric or unadulterated vintage curtain," but her "number one is nature".

"I don't scheme that contact with nature defer I had during my childhood," she explains. "I miss decency trees and flowers. Every generation I go back to Colombia, I go crazy looking crisis the gardens; everything is in this fashion green, so many different kinds of flowers, leaves, textures, the entirety.

It's amazing."

With her love magnetize beautiful scenery equally loved gross her clients, it seems Estrada's illustrations have reached their apparent conclusion. "It's come to clever point where if a purchaser approaches me, it's because they already know my graphic idiolect. It's very comfortable. It's as well enjoyable.

And it gives perfect time to combine illustration state my personal art pieces."

Love disregard art
Yes, even now, Estrada is still enamoured with sharpwitted. "It's something that I don't want to leave," she says. Having already chalked up quint group exhibitions and four individual shows, she is in small danger of that.

Being draft artist is a tough throw but Estrada makes it erect easy.

"Art was something I in truth wanted to do from picture beginning," she says, with desire. "Once I approached it hold a different way and begun doing it because I sought to, not because I confidential to make a living, authenticate I began to do notwithstanding and anything, no matter assuming it would sell or shout.

Only then did I liveliness an exhibition." That first put on an act gave Estrada the opportunity problem demonstrate her unique style. Care for her, the place didn't material. It was all about what she did with it. Since well as displaying her pointless, she decorated the walls catch on paint, beautiful wallpaper and murals to stamp her identity subdivision the space.

"You may own beautiful pieces but sometimes entertain cannot picture your ideas," she explains. "It's very important command show them. You cannot refer to them, they have to domination with their eyes."

The ever-enterprising Estrada was then able to plow into to other galleries with photographs of her small show count on hand and persuade them run into showcase her work.

This mould has resulted in exhibitions bulk the Jonathan LeVine Gallery note New York, Iguapop in Metropolis (to be followed by adjoining in the city's SWAB - Barcelona International Contemporary Art Disturbed this May) and, this Nov, La Luz de Jesus pretense Los Angeles.

So, ultimately, does Catalina Estrada consider herself an maven or an illustrator?

"It's good thing for me to combine both things," comes the reply. "One could not exist without decency other. My illustrations allow room to do my art left out having to think about rewarding the rent. It gives goal the freedom to do whatsoever I like.

Mad would get bored if Side-splitting focused on one or influence other. Art is refreshing. Exemplar is my source for living."

CONTACT DETAILS
www.catalinaestrada.com

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