Journal 34: Interview with Ana Cristina Portillo Domecq

Designer and watercolorist, based between Madrid and Andalusia. After a career in logistics, she has created an artistic career focused on illustration and print design. Her work reflects an aesthetic sensibility marked by cultural tradition and the environment in which she grew up, which continue to inspire and shape her creative projects.

The lockdown was the beginning of your watercolor phase. How did you discover this passion?
“By chance. I started by buying some watercolor pencils (imagine how much I knew about watercolors…) and then a small kit. I chose watercolors because they’re easy to take anywhere, and also because I like challenges: I had been told that it's one of the more difficult techniques, since controlling the water is hard. I guess I also needed to distract myself and, at the same time, connect with myself. For me, painting is like a kind of meditation, the way you completely abstract yourself from the world and have a single focus.”

What inspires you when creating your prints?
“Everything around me. What surrounds us is a source of inspiration: the fall of a leaf, the song of a bird that reminds you of something, a crumbling building, a shell… You just have to be awake enough to see it and bring it to paper.”

What does timeless and handcrafted fashion mean to you?
“To me it’s something we need to give more importance to. I still have and wear pieces of my mother’s, fashions that have not gone away or fashions that come back. We’ve been through a time when the most important thing was to follow the latest trend without considering if that fashion fitted our way of being. I think we are timeless, and that we must wear pieces that reflect our essence: something that I wear today and I can wear in 20 years and, if God wills, one day my daughters. The artisan part is key: doing things with care, respect and love… you can feel it in every piece. It’s a big part of what makes it unique: there won’t be two identical pieces made with the same hands.”

Which fashion and art references inspire you?
“I am inspired by artists like Monet, Georgia O’Keeffe or Sorolla, for their way of working with light, color and nature. In architecture, I am attracted to the harmony of the Renaissance, the strength of Gothic cathedrals, the sensitivity of Mies van der Rohe and the organic nature of Gaudí: they all have a very special relationship with light. In fashion I’m inspired by the timelessness of Dior in its more bohemian and free facet. But above all, my greatest inspiration always comes from art and everyday life.”

What dreams do you have for the next ten years?
“Wow!! Ten years!! It’s a lot of time… and too many dreams! First, I’d love to start a family. It’s something I’ve always wanted and I hope that, within 10 years, I’ll have achieved it. At the same time, I dream that my brand is internationally established, with points of sale in Spain and in other countries, and with my own team that grows with me and shares the same vision. And, above all, to keep painting, because that’s what connects me, inspires me and is the engine of my project.”

Can you tell us your favorite hotel and the last book you’ve read?
“More than a specific hotel, I would say my favorite is the Six Senses chain. It has that mix of wellness, nature and enjoyment that makes me feel, every time I go, like I belong in that place. It gives me absolute peace. The last book I read was The Little Prince. It’s a classic I reread every now and then and, even though I know how it ends, it always makes me cry.”

What place in the world would you like to travel wearing your Friulanes (Cayumas)?
“Spain, the largely forgotten one. We often focus too much on traveling abroad when we have a wonderful country full of different landscapes. If I think outside Spain, there are so many places!! Canada, Egypt, Cambodia… and I would return to travel Australia with my Friulanes, without a doubt. Really, the whole world!”

How would you design your perfect Cayumas?
“I think they’re already designed! I love the Figaro: they are different, super comfortable and perfect for any occasion. Although, if I think about my perfect Cayumas, I would make them with a printed fabric based on my watercolors, full of color and energy!!”