Olivia Mendiburu is an abstract painter coming originally from the beautiful city of San Sebastian in the north of Spain. For Oliva painting is a form of liberation from the bonds we create in life. Besides painting , Olivia is also a talented photographer and surfer.

• Which art form suits you best?
  Abstract painting is my way of expressing myself in an artistic form. And I choose abstract art because it's free. No rules, no expectations on results. Just wild.
• Do you create from technology (photography) or rather from feeling, approach and commitment?
  Rather from feeling. I just feel overwhelmed sometimes and need to free myself from emotions. This is why I paint. It's like a mental break and a very wild moment to express yourself in the most brutal way without fear, without judgment. It's just nature, it's coming from your most deep and virgin feelings.
• When did the flame of creativity ignite?
  When I was a teenager. Of course, as a teenager you feel everything 500% stronger because you experience a lot of things for the first time. I felt a lot of joy but also confusion. Art helped me to work on my personality.
• What is the most beautiful moment during the creation process?
  When you are in the middle of the mess. The work is starting to gain form and you feel like invencible. Like everything is possible out of fear and judgment. It's just like the most honest version of yourself being just that. Sometimes it feels hard to stop but at some point you feel the artwork is done, is finished. And you need to stop.
• Where do you get inspiration from?
  To be honest, from pain. I paint when I feel sad or melancholic. I don't know why but if I feel very good, stable and positive, I just don't feel the need to paint. I guess for me it's like a way of therapie.
• Who would you like to meet or work with?
  I would have loved to meet Edward Hopper. His art is totally different but I get so touched by it. It's amazing.
• What are you proud of?
  I am proud of letting myself express my pain through art without judging myself. It's the most honest version of myself.
• Do you have a personal rule of life or an inspiring phrase?
  Hmm no... I am just in love with life. I try to embrace everything that happens. Because life just happens and the simplicity of that it's just amazing and very encouraging. I am also a very positive person and I guess this helps.
• What is the most memorable moment of the creation process?
  There are some artworks that mean a lot to me because they are related to a very very important and specific moment of my life. It's like seeing the artwork and going back to the past. Art is like a biography. You see yourself in each piece of work. You see your past in your present.
• What's the worst job you ever did?
  Hm, some ugly early paintings but my parents really liked them so they are in my bedroom... LOL
• Which three songs would you choose to describe your life? (beginning, middle, end)
  The four seasons of Vivaldi.
• How did your art work develop?
  Through the years you change and this change is reflected in my artwork. From scrambled and chaotic paintings I developed more into simplistic or more minimalistic forms. I guess it is the calm you feel when you reach a specific age.
• How do you access your creative flow? Is it a space? Music? A certain time of day?
  It's normally more at nights, when everything "sleeps". I put on my headphones and just start painting...

Contact : http://www.oliviamendiburu.com