Feature Friday: Lola Diaz Pascual

If you attended our Starry Pumpkin Canvas & Cocktails night recently, you were one of the lucky ones to experience Lola Diaz Pascual’s first taught class! Lola has been with Art Nest Creative Studio since our launch and has recently celebrated two years being at the studio! Starting out as a volunteer assisting with events, Lola moved up to be an artist apprentice, a camp leader and currently carries out private art tuition. Art Nest was proud to witness this young, emerging artist displaying and sharing the confidence and skills that have been fostered in studio with the wider community. Do you want to learn more about Lola and her art journey? Read on as we have a Q&A session with Lola.

Art Nest :How long have you been an artist?

Lola: My background has been in performance arts and I’ve been doing that for as long as I can remember. I would often involve myself in any performing arts opportunities I had in school, from the drama club to the marching band, and continued performing as a member of the Cayman Drama Society in the most recent musicals, "Footloose" & "Grease". However, it wasn’t until about two years ago that I discovered my love for the visual arts.

Art Nest: What inspired you to pursue visual art/painting as a medium of creativity?

Lola: For me, art was a means of escapism - it allowed me to express myself freely in ways I otherwise wouldn't be able to. I suffered from mild depression and anxiety as a teen and I find that the arts in general, was a form of therapy for me.

Art Nest: How would you describe your style of painting?

Lola: I believe my art style is very diverse, for example, my portraits have some inspiration from the style of Margaret Keane’s "Big Eyes" portraits. When I paint the human body my style is inspired by those of the Florentine Renaissance/Baroque Period. I often find myself painting in the form of abstract, as one of the very first pieces I learned to paint with a brush was Van Gogh’s "Starry Night" at Art Nest. I also often paint from photographs.

Art Nest: What subject matters do you enjoy painting?

Lola: I like painting portraits and the human body. I think portraits capture time and freezes it in the artistic sense. In portrait paintings, one can capture so many more emotions, the face almost becomes a mirror of a person’s soul much like the eyes is a window to it. I enjoy painting the human body, because it expresses the vulnerability we all have once everything we have is stripped from. I think painting the human body also conveys the strength and courage that it takes to face the world like an open book.

Art Nest: Which contemporary or classical artists do you admire?

Lola: I admire quite a few, particularly those from the Florentine Renaissance like Leonardo Davinci, Sandro Boticelli. The "Mona Lisa" and the "Birth of Venus" are a few of my favorite paintings of this era.

Art Nest: Do you feel that as an artist you have to continue to practice honing your skills? If yes, how do you go about doing this?

Lola: As an artist, much like in anything, practice does make perfect, or at least close enough. Art is subjective and open to many interpretations just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder but it is a skill nonetheless that needs to be practiced in order to hone it. I paint every chance I get. I’m now working on sharing my art.

Art Nest: Where do you get your inspiration from for your paintings?

Lola: I get inspired by work and my friends mostly, I have such creative and amazing friends that believe in me and my skills. My team at work is so positive and inspiring particularly my boss who believed in my skill from the beginning. They inspire me to try different mediums and to paint different things which is why my artwork and style varies quite a bit. I also get inspired by photographs for painting portraits.

Art Nest: Any advice for young, budding, creatives out there?

Lola: Surround yourself with like-minded and positive individuals who encourage you to the ends of the world and you can accomplish anything whether you believe in yourself of not. Pick up that brush, pencil, put on those dancing shoes or warm up those vocal chords and trust in yourself and your abilities, also don't forget to practice. If at first you can’t come up with anything to create, that's okay. I started off attempting paintings from other artists, until I was comfortable and confident enough to paint my own things (mostly from photographs). Also, we ourselves as artists are our worst critics, don’t be so hard on yourself. Art is subjective - there will be those that love your work and those that just don’t get it. Thats okay, because you are the artist, and not everyone can do what you do.

Art Nest: Tell us a bit about what was going on internally while teaching your first Canvas &

Cocktails class.

Lola: On Tuesday (16th October), I lead my first Canvas and Cocktails class. I felt accomplished as I continue my climb on the art ladder. I currently teach private lessons to children and teaching a Canvas & Cocktails class was something that I aspired to do once I got "Canvas Confident." At first, I was worried that people wouldn’t like my way of teaching or the painting, but my team was behind me every step of the way reminding me that I could do this. I was nervous on the night but tried my best to not let it show, and we got through it! Everyone enjoyed the class and reassured me that I did very well and gave good reviews! I was so relieved and ecstatic. Needless to say, I can't wait for my next one! With a team like the one I am part of, I know I can achieve anything!

Were you at Lola's Starry Pumpkin class? If yes, we'd love to hear your feedback; artists thrive on feedback! We know that Lola has a lot more to offer so watch the Canvas & Cocktail calendar for more.