Christian Rola’s paintings are inspired by Philippine culture and childhood events that he wants to relive. In his art, he puts a strong emphasis on evoking the emotions of the audience. Read on to learn more about how Christian developed his talent and where he draws inspiration from.
Where are you from and where do you currently reside?
I’m from the Philippines.
What drew you to become an artist and what do you like about painting with watercolors?
I started as early as 10 years old, creating simple artwork and joining school contests. I like using watercolor as this medium can bring out so much emotion in a subject. I can also feel the mysteriousness in some of the art pieces created from watercolor.
How would you describe your style?
I graduated with my 4 year Fine Arts degree majoring in painting as a surrealist, eventually, I begin shifting to realism and watercolor painting.
What has kept you engaged and committed to your craft over the years?
Philippine culture and my childhood events that I want to relive and share with others to help them remember their past.
How have you grown as an artist in the past five years and what are the major contributing factors to your growth?
Before I was limited in creating pieces using acrylics and my subjects were limited. I tried exploring other mediums and subjects and also tried uploading my works on social media platforms. I think a major contributor to this is adapting to the current trend and the desire to not allow traditional art to be taken over by digital art.
What materials do you most commonly use?
I use acrylics, watercolors, colored pencils, soft pastels, oil pastels, pens, and ink.
Can you describe some of your favorite pieces you’ve worked on?
Some of my favorite artworks I have created contain Philippine culture such as jeepneys, historical places like Vigan in Ilocos, and palo sebo (a Philippine local game) which was the subject of my thesis.
Do you have any advice for up-and-coming artists? Are there any tips or techniques you can offer?
The only tip I can give to up-and-coming artists out there is to make sure you try to capture the emotions while creating your pieces. These emotions will also be felt by your audience. These emotions usually can be shown in the way you put down a color or with your brush/pencil strokes. As an artist, I make sure I create with my current feelings and emotions while I create my artwork.
What are your website and social media links?
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@drawingforeveryjuan
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@christianrola8?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
