Natalia Lumbreras

A dance of colour

• Natalia's blank canvas is white silk
• Artist Paul Gauguin is an inspiration
• She loves colour and the movement it creates on silk

As a textile design student at Central St Martins in London in the early 90s, Natalia Lumbreras wanted to use very specific prints for her graduation collection. That's when she decided to design and make her own, thus finding her vocation and marking the beginning of her love story with hand painting textiles. Back in Spain she continued to experiment with colour and pattern, hand painting mostly silk, the fabric that even today she is most drawn to. She opened her first workshop in 1992, applying her craft to fashion and interior items. Besides hand painting, she also designs one-of-a-kind motifs for limited edition fabrics. After almost 30 years, she remains passionate and never ceases sketching, studying and painting.

Interview

©Natus

©Alvaro Lumbreras Cabrera

How does it feel to work on your own?

Very independent. After graduating I realised I didn't want to design with a computer, following trends dictated by others. I have always liked to paint, and I wanted to experiment and be able to express my creativity, without having to depend on someone else. I express myself through painting.

Do you have a favourite colour?

I have two, and for different reasons. There is one that I personally like to wear and it is indigo. And, on the other hand there is yellow, an eclectic colour I like to think of as a sort of magician, which I always use when mixing because of its versatility in achieving different hues.

How does being an artisan and a painter come together?

Combining colours is my passion. The white silk in the stretch frame is my canvas, I start from there and then my imagination flows. I sketch and then I let my brushes go. My inspiration comes from within, from all the books I’ve read, art I have loved, nature, people I have seen on the street.

What is it about silk that fascinates you?

Silk encompasses many qualities; it is ephemeral yet subtle and dynamic, even when stiff. Brush stroke after brush stroke, colour on silk acquires endless movement; patterns chase each other and change according to the light. I like to paint silk scrolls; when hanged, they almost dance.

Natalia Lumbreras is a master artisan: she began her career in 1993 and she started teaching in 1997

Works

©Pedro Martinez Albornoz

©Pedro Martinez Albornoz

©All rights reserved

©All rights reserved

©All rights reserved

Where