Tropical Mountains. Artist. Aire

Aire’s work contains a plethora of curious imagery, from tarot archetypes to nature, so much so that it’s hard to believe all of her inspiration comes from everyday life, but spirituality is a big part of her understanding of the world.

Can you tell us something about your childhood? What did you remember in particular? 
I grew up surrounded by nature. I lived in San José city, but my grandma lived in a little town, one hour from the city, surrounded by tropical mountains, so I was connected with this place. 

I remember my childhood was really free. I used to spend a lot of time outdoors in the mountain, using flowers, rocks, trees, etc. as my toys. My grandma used to tell me a lot of simple and magic histories, about mysterious things that take place in these mountains that surrounded us.

How did you get into art?
I never had any connection to art in my childhood, nobody around me was a painter or an artist. I remember being organically attracted to this, maybe because the art world was something so new to me, that I feel so curious about it. At 12 years old I started taking oil painting classes with a local artist and I discovered my passion. 

Where do you get your inspiration from?
Some things help me create, such as tarot, nature, and dreams. But normally I find inspiration in the middle of the process, while I draw or paint something. I think inspiration is the result of a daily basis of work, not something that comes out of the blue, hard work, discipline, and persistence are key to finding it.

What do you feel when you stand in front of a finished artwork? 
I always feel gratitude when I finish a painting. I am grateful for being able to paint, and also because every time I finish a painting, I discover new things in my work, about myself.

Tender and dreamy. What do you associate with the 2 words?
Tender: A Hug. hands. Baby yellow. Pastel colours.The light of a sunset. Dreamy: A portal to something we don’t usually notice. Ocean waves.

What are you working on right now? 
Right now I’m focusing on practicing my drawing skills. I always feel so rushed to take my acrylics and paint, the drawing part is something that I don’t pay a lot of attention to. So I’m drawing a lot these days. Also, I’m creating my own illustrated tarot deck. 

Is there anyone you would like to greet? 
Maria J Luque, she’s an Argentine artist. I admire her work, it’s inspiring to me. She has a very unique way of communicating things through her work. Also lately I discovered the work of Dora Dalila Cheffi, I’m amazed by her colour palettes and the stories of one and each of her paintings.

Aire Calderón – www.instagram.com/aiiiire/