Artist Profile: Rosa Murillo

Tell me a bit about yourself name, location, affiliations, personal stuff.
My name is Rosa Murillo, I grew up in Mexico City and I paint and create mixed-media art in North Carolina. Trained in Mexico as an architect, I then moved to the United States, was married, became a mother, and a freelance artist. I started a project called Found Art Tuesday, in which I give away art in unexpected places to unsuspecting individuals.

twist - original painting

Apart from creating art, what do you do?
I am a Mom and a Wife and it's a wonderful job to have. I love my family and I try to spend as much time with them as I can, but at the same time, having time to be alone with my thoughts and doing something creative gives me a sense of fulfillment, makes me happy and makes me feel like ME again, not a mom or wife, but just me. I've found that inspiration and creativity are always around but I need to stop and listen to them so that it can all make sense.

lazarus heart - assemblage box

What first made you want to become an artist?
When I was in architecture school I found that the part of the projects I enjoyed the most were the ones that needed illustrations, model making and design, that's when I discovered that there was more art that I wanted to explore. Life took me in another direction for a few years, until I decided to explore painting as a new experiment, and I fell in love with it.

superhero blue bird - print of original painting

Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
Since I am a mom of two young kids my time to paint is seriously limited. I try to make time for painting whenever I can. The best time for me is when my kids are at school, and I aim to devote at least a few hours a week to the paintings that require more planning. I've been working on smaller projects in between painting and steal a moment whenever I can to play in other mediums. I recently discovered polymer clay and I can't wait to experiment with it more. The most challenging thing for me is not having enough time to materialize all of the things that fly around my mind--I know these ideas could become great projects if I had more time in my days to sit still longer than a minute!

cafe latte - digital file of original painting

What artists have influenced you and inspire you to create?
I like to follow other art and illustration blogs because I feel inspired from so many things that people create. Bloggers usually write about the things that motivates them and what they are interested in--it's a positive drive that I love!

cigar box assemblage supply kit - finished boxes by Rosa

Where else can people find your work?
Along with my Etsy shop, my website includes a selection of my past work and links to my blog where I share the pieces that I create. I also share my process and the things that I've learned along the way. Like many blogs, there's also a number of random things I like to write about besides my art since I have so many interests. My Flickr stream is where you can view my entire portfolio. My YouTube channel features a few instructional videos I designed about epoxy resin, polymer clay and collage. Last but not least, I've also been bitten by the Twitter bug!

My goodness, where am I not--that's the real question!

Photos are by and copyright of Rosa Murillo 2009 - all rights reserved.