Violeta Maya at her studio. Image courtesy of the artist. Photo by Ale Flo.
Violeta Maya (b. 1993, Madrid, Spain) lives and works in Madrid. Her practice is rooted in working with large raw canvases and raw paint pigments – letting the fluidity of the water dictate the results of the color and how it interacts with the canvas. She is represented by Nicelle Beauchene Gallery and Alzueta Gallery.
In 2024 she was commissioned by the Olivia Foundation to create a piece for our Artist Spotlight series.
We caught up with Violeta on her recent visit to Mexico City to learn more about her process and influences.
Did you know from a young age that you wanted to become an artist?
An artist, yes. A painter, not at all. When I was five, I started playing violin and became really obsessed with music. I went to a music school until I was 15, where I played piano, violin, and had orchestra classes, choir, all of that. I was super into music. I loved composing on the piano, but I didn’t really like the classical system of teaching. I ended up very fed up with it. Now I understand why, maybe jazz would have been better, something more improvised or creative. But I didn’t like studying the same thing over and over again.
Both of my parents are painters, so maybe I was trying to avoid painting for many years. But then it came very naturally to me. I never thought it was going to be serious. I just did it on my own without showing anybody. Later, I thought, maybe this could be what I do and started taking it more seriously.
“Colors really obsess me.”
How did you arrive at the process you are working with?
The other day—because I have a new studio now—I was looking through all my old sketchbooks and notebooks from when I was 16, and realized I’ve been doing watercolor for so many years. The technique made a lot of sense even back then, but I didn’t realize it. I was very interested in making visceral paintings, of that moment, from what I was feeling then. I’m not interested in [working on] something that takes a long period of time.
From the beginning, I was making paintings that I made right then. It was more about the feeling and the texture of the canvas, how the paint expanded when you put so much water on it. I think it also has to do with the fact that I have a bit of an attention deficit. So it was very practical to set a time frame where I had to really focus and be present while I was painting, not get distracted or think about anything else. Just be fully there.
Slowly I started wetting a small part of the canvas, and then I was like, I’m just going to do the whole thing, wet everything and make one big painting at one go.
Images courtesy of the artist. Final works courtesy of Nicelle Beauchene Gallery and Alzueta Gallery. Photographs by Natalia Puras and Marta Rubio.
How did you arrive at the color palette that you are known for?
Colors really obsess me. When I started working, maybe I didn’t have such a defined palette, but over time you really get into some colors. Some days I think I do have a palette, but sometimes not so much. It’s a lot about how I’m feeling that day or during that period of time. For example, last year I had a moment where pink really repelled me, and I don’t like to have taboos. So I tried to make a whole show in pink and tried to make it my own, you know? Tried to take it to my field and make it work within my work. There are still some colors that repel me, but I want to try to embrace them in the future.
“I don’t know how I get into the right creative state of mind. It’s still a mystery to me, and that’s what keeps it interesting.”
How do you get into the right state of mind to start painting?
I don’t know how I get into the right creative state of mind. It’s still a mystery to me, and that’s what keeps it interesting. I think it’s a very mysterious moment. Sometimes I can be like a channel and not put my ego in the painting, like I’m being somehow dictated what to do. And that’s when the best paintings come out. But if I’m very in my head and I put a lot of thinking into it, the painting is ruined. It’s hard to know, you just have to go to the studio and try. If you have a good day, that’s great. If you don’t…
Images courtesy of the artist. Final works courtesy of Nicelle Beauchene Gallery and Alzueta Gallery. Photographs by Natalia Puras and Marta Rubio.
What’s a learning that has stuck with you?
I’ve realized that the less pressure I put on the painting I’m about to make, the better it comes out, because I can just be really free. That’s why I paint on raw canvas without stretching it. If it’s bad, I can just roll it up and put it somewhere no one will see it. Then I can go on to the next one. If I think “this has to be really good,” then it’s usually a disaster. The best pieces come out when I’m relaxed and not really caring about the result, just trying to have fun while I paint.