Women and other Doodles with Cuca

Cuca welcomed me with her characteristic energy, happy to show me the Romualda drawings she had been making since the beginning of the brand based on posts we published on Instagram and photos of friends wearing our hats. From her folders also came wonderful paintings of landscapes, portraits, house interiors, still lifes and many endearing scenes. She told me that every morning, as a kind of therapy, she used to draw with her Manleys crayons on ecru cardboard from magazine photos, instagram and photos she took with her mobile phone of landscapes and houses in the area.

The freshness and harmony of the colour is sublime, Cuca's images transport you to other worlds, worlds of fantasy and colour, they look like scenes from fantasy stories, she represents her work very well, cheerful, energetic, fun and dedicated to creating beauty and good vibes. We decided to use her work for the Romualda Summer tour and now we want to introduce you to the artist behind the work. She has several instagram accounts where you can see her work; we hope you like it as much as we do.

Long live colour, art and the fantastic Cuca!

Tell us who you are, your career and what you are doing nowadays.
I am from Asturias, mother of a large family and I am 59 years old. Because of my husband's profession, I have lived in beautiful cities all over the world. Now, back in Oviedo, surrounded by family and friends, I am happy.

When did you start drawing and why?
I have drawn all my life but only on 2 occasions with regularity and discipline. In the winter of 1998 I painted 70 pictures and I stopped, I wanted them to be liked and I felt uneasy. Six years ago I took it up again, I painted for myself, I didn't care if I liked it or not and it became a passion.

What techniques do you use and tell us a bit about them?
It was in that course that I started to use waxes. When I arrived in Spain I discovered Manley and I've never changed technique. Little by little and because I paint a lot, I have been improving my technique. Before I blurred the works, now I don't blur, I paint in layers, the paintings are more "wild" and with much more texture.

Which artists do you like and inspire you in your work?
I think I like the ones that everybody likes. Impressionists and also a lot of German expressionists. The first time I saw a painting by Kandisky I thought: "Oh, he paints like me, with the same colouring as me".

You have many different subjects, landscapes, interiors, portraits, still lifes... what subjects do you like the most and why?
I paint everything I see, landscapes, still lifes, interiors, fashion, some portraits and I also love to tell little stories through a painting. But whatever I paint, the most important thing for me is that the colourfulness of a work catches you and makes you want to look at it again and again.

What was the first drawing you did of Romualda and how many have you done already? Which is your favourite and why?
My first Romualdo is a girl with a beautiful green shadow (@bellathomas). I have painted 50 Romualdos - maybe more. My favourites and although I'm not a portrait painter, they are: Cris with silk scarf and peppers, Mariana with Venancio, India with the Hat Dada Curry Gigante and a model with a winter fur hat for Teethmag. Also an interior of a pop up in Biarritz.

What moves you about Romualda?
I came to painting through fashion, my mother received the monthly edition of Marie Claire from France ...... I was dying for it to arrive! When I was 13 years old I was painting mannequins non-stop - we are talking about the 70s. Seeing the pictures with those wonderful hats was a crush. If I paint a Romualdo I know the picture will be beautiful.

What relationship do you see between your work and ours?
You as artists/designers create these unique and wonderful hats. I as a painter interpret your work. I like what you do so much that I think it is reflected in my work.

What is your favourite print/garment/hat from the new Jugo collection and why?
From the new Jugo collection my favourite hat is the Hat Peonia Gigante and the garment is the Dress Essaouira Rito Blue, I also love the Merienda Rosa print. I like them because I think they look beautiful and the shades sure flatter a lot - in fact I don't think there's any print or hat I don't like!

Photos by Ernesto Sampons