Goodlife People: A Q+A with Sofia Flo Art

I am Sofia Flo, I am 32 years old, I’ve been painting since I was 8 when my dad got me my first oil painting set for Christmas. At 19, I reconnected with my art that started as a hobby on my free time, I started getting requests from people to create pieces for them and I agreed. It slowly grew from there. My dad then bought me supplies to create a sea turtle oil painting for him but little did he know, he’d give me wings. This painting would take me 5 years to complete and it was frustrating at times, but beautiful when I figured it out. Needless to say, that painting taught me a lot.

The second oil painting only took me 2 years and so on. My art has grown with me, and you can really see that in my pieces. Every painting I make nowadays, has a story behind it, a moment of my life that was so beautiful, so joyous but so fleeting in nature, it’s what truly drives me to create.

Tell us about your artistic journey and what inspired you to start painting. When did you start?

I was always drawn to art. My dad noticed and got me my first set of oil paintings when I was 8 years old and little did he know what it would become. As I grew, I kept drawing here and there but it wasn’t until I was about 19 years old, that I was able to re-discover my art in a different way. I worked on it off and on, I became blocked for many years and I thought I just couldn’t do it, I thought I needed to get classes because I simply did not know how to achieve what I wanted. Until one day, through my family, I met the artist Mario Marti and I expressed my desire to take classes, and he completely advised against. So I decided to keep going on my own and find my own way around my mental block. I was able to break through that and just find my own way to finish the painting. I saw so many things wrong with it but my dad loved it and that’s all that mattered.

Nowadays, my paintings exude more confidence, I no longer question myself as I’m painting, I know what I’m doing and I know how to get there, there is a technicality to everything I do. I can construct a scene with simple brushstrokes, and this experience can only come through lots of practice and time.

Where do you enjoy creating new concepts the most?

Anywhere as long as I’m alone, Inspiration can come at the most random times, it’s the essence of a moment very fleeting in time. Once I’m locked in an idea, nothing is getting me out of it. I can be alone sitting on the beach watching the sunset or just taking a walk around the neighborhood spotting a random palm tree sticking up in the sky.

Can you explain your creative process and how you capture the essence of the El Salvador coast in your work?

The ocean has always been my happy place. Everything I paint is from a moment in time in my life. I am always amazed by the beauty of the ocean, so in those moments in which I realize how incredibly beautiful it is to watch the waves, or the sun setting over the palm trees, I quickly snap a photo of it, of what I’m seeing, so I can use as a reference photo in the studio. I then create a composition of my idea, select my canvas, and work on the ‘underpainting’ before I even start throwing actual paint into the canvas.

What do you love most about living on the La Libertad coast, and how does it impact your work?

It was always my dream to live near the ocean, to be able to wake up and take long walks down the coast was the life I always aspired to have. I knew that if I wanted to capture those ‘’fleeting’’ moments, I had to be able to find them at random times, so moving to the coast was a non-negotiable for me. I also wanted to study the water, the reflections, the transparency, and the colors of the sky during my plein air sessions.

Share some tips for aspiring artists who are looking to find their unique voice.

Find what makes you happy, what inspires you, what makes you want to create, and focus on that. Follow classes or online tutorials, make sure to learn the basics, start from the bottom, and work your way up. You need to know the rules so you can break them.

This is more of a personal question: What would you recommend to others when they visit El Salvador?

Visit the coasts, the mountains, the waterfalls, and the lakes… Many little towns to visit and know. Try pupusas and maybe even a coctel de conchas (my personal fav).

If you could share one message with the world about El Salvador, what message would you share?

The coziest place on earth. Nothing quite like being able to go from the beach to the mountains all in 1 hour.

Rapid Fire, Vamos!

One word to describe El Salvador?

Surprising

One of your favorite restaurants? 

Olor de Mar

A local brand you are loving right now?

@lulopizza at El Tunco!

One item you can’t live without when it comes to your interior space?

Candles! I love to light up candles at all times. It makes every room smell so nice.

One thing you want to try before the year ends?

Painting a different theme.

Let Sofia Flo’s art take over you space. These are her social platforms:

Instagram: @sofiafloart

Facebook: Sofia Flo Art

Etsy Shop: SofiaFloArts