Flora Unfiltered: Artist Spotlight on Flora Saldivar
Born in Mexico City and currently based in Northwest Arkansas, Flora Saldivar’s paintings are propelled by the spontaneous movement of paint itself and the way it soaks into raw canvas. Her formalist approach thrives on the exploration of color and non-traditional mediums. Most of Flora’s paintings feature a proprietary blend of colors she developed along with her husband, which allows the pigments to soak through the raw canvas in a very specific way, creating a distinctive effect on the canvas. All of Flora’s pieces share something in common; they start with a very loose plan, then take a turn into their very own journey.
MIXD: Could you share with us a little about yourself and your creative process?
FS: My creative process is deeply rooted in exploring the beauty of imperfections and unpredictability. My goal is to capture the essence of movement in a static image through my proprietary gouache color blend, allowing colors, textures, and forms to merge and transform the unprimed canvas into something worth existing.
MIXD: Your work examines the relationship between the raw canvas and the movement of your proprietary color blend. How did your methodology come to be?
FS: To answer that I would first have to pay homage to Helen Frankenthaler who pioneered the soak stain technique. Unfortunately, oil on canvas can be damaging to the cotton fibers, so I had to develop a paint that produced similar results without using oil. It was a whirlwind of trial and error, but I am very happy with the final product.
My creative process is deeply rooted in exploring the beauty of imperfections and unpredictability. My goal is to capture the essence of movement in a static image through my proprietary gouache color blend, allowing colors, textures, and forms to merge and transform the unprimed canvas into something worth existing.
FLORA SALDIVAR
MIXD: What is the significance of working with unrefined materials?
FS: In a world where everything is incredibly manufactured, retouched, planned, and synthetic, I wanted to create a space that allows the viewer to go back into our simple and unfiltered roots.
MIXD: How is your cultural background reflected in your practice?
FS: Growing up in Mexico, one of my most cherished memories is going with my abuela to the bustling indoor/outdoor market… all the bright colors and a myriad of scents and textures that put all of my five senses in overdrive.
In a world where everything is incredibly manufactured, retouched, planned, and synthetic, I wanted to create a space that allows the viewer to go back into our simple and unfiltered roots.
FLORA SALDIVAR
MIXD: Most of your latest work is large-scale. What challenges have you encountered while working on a smaller scale?
FS: A shift to a smaller scale presented a bit of a challenge, since this is the smallest of works I have ever done. But it gave me the freedom to take more chances. The color blends I use are rather expensive, so when it comes to my large-scale pieces, a complete redo would be an enormous loss. While working on the micro-paintings, I treated myself to a multitude of redos with not one worry in mind.
MIXD: What message are you conveying to the public through this collection?
FS: Each micro painting gives us a peek into what makes each person special, highlighting their unique traits and quirks. When all these little pieces come together, they form a deep and meaningful picture that shows how we’re all connected, coexisting in this world and this time.
A very special thank you to Flora for sharing her practice with us! You can learn even more about her HERE and shop her works at MIXD Gallery.
Article Credits
Interview Questions, Gala Reneaum Tello; Intro Copy and Final Edit, Nicole Boddington; Artwork, Margaret Correll.