How to express a feeling

How to express a feeling, an emotion, totally, as overwhelming and immersive as it is? How to express the way I feel it myself?

When words are not enough, I draw, I paint. I like working on drawings as part of my daily practice; some of them become something bigger and may even evolve into a bigger painting, some others will just stay there.

Lately I’ve been exploring how to make the expression more raw, more direct. Something that I try to achieve with longer, more expressive lines. In this particular piece, I wanted to add more character to the shapes. The richer colour patterns come from using resin with the gouache, in a paper base that is waterproof. This gave me the ability to create a more tractable “paste” — I really wanted to avoid the paper absorbing any of the moist in the paint, so I could be left with a paste that would feel alive, and even after drying, it would stay unsettled, exacerbating the tension in the expression.

I value the experimentation with textures a lot as a way to unlock the psychological depth of a situation.

Most of my recent pieces have explored the vulnerability in settings that are more explicit or erotic, the fragility that contrasts strongly with the context itself. There is a deep duality within the eroticism of the soul that repeats itself constantly in so many facets of the human experience: that tension between the strength, the “going forward”, and the crude reality of existence, of our own vulnerability: “here I am with all my flaws”.

Enrique Hernandez

Enrique is a figurative artist and creative researcher. Born in 1992 in Madrid, Spain, he now lives and works in York, UK. His work captures the intricate and often conflicting facets of human experience, exploring themes of vulnerability, strength, and the interplay between emotional intensity and quiet introspection. With an approach that prioritises emotional authenticity over traditional technique, Enrique’s art transforms raw materials into visual narratives, challenging viewers to confront both beauty and discomfort.