Gloria Sánchez is a Spanish illustrator and designer who currently lives and works in Praga (Czech Republic). Her work is mainly inspired by elements from other cultures, the past, nature or the universe.

Ever since she can remember I’ve dreamt of being an artist, and always loved cutting and pasting pieces of paper together from magazines and newspapers. I studied Fine Art, specialising in the Restoration of Easel Painting, and in the Knowledge and Management of Historical Heritage.

When I’m not working I spend my time doing what I love; discovering art, travelling, learning, keeping fit, photography, and exploring antiquities and ruins. I love things with age, such as 80’s aesthetics, past civilisations and non-fiction books about paranormal sciences, esotericism and the universe’s mysteries. I feel free when I’m dancing, listening to electronic music and watching a sun set over the sea.

‘Aloha’ by Gloria Sanchez

‘Ripened Heart’ by Gloria Sanchez

It was around two years ago that I started to focus more upon digital collage, thanks to a collaborative project, “Los Días Contados,” during which a group of collage artists created a collage a day from the same image. I describe my style today as surreal, whimsical and kitsch, influenced by Dadaism and Surrealism. Inspiration is everywhere, but mostly I find it in nature, metaphysics, spirituality, esoterism, science fiction and mythology. I adore the work of Joseph Cornell, Salvador Dali and Randy Mora.

‘Heaven and Earth’  by Gloria Sanchez

‘Kamel’ by Gloria Sanchez

I start the day by waking up early. I enjoy exercising and so do some cardio to start the day, usually while listening to a podcast or audiobook. Around 9 am I start work, often by reading and replying to emails, updating my social media, and preparing orders.  I prefer to work without music or in silence so I can concentrate better. Occasionally I may listen to a talk or conference about living a healthy lifestyle, entrepreneurship, marketing, or science…it depends on my mood.

When I work on a commissioned work I first of all research information about the relevant topic. From there I tend to list  ideas and brainstorm. I the look for inspiration in books, surf the net or think more specifically about what I’m surrounded by. When I have a good body of information I start to gathering together my ideas and creating Photoshop. My process when it’s a personal project is slightly different. I begin by scrolling through my digital collection of images. Then I ake selections and start to play. I rarely have an idea about how it will end up looking; it’s all about improvisation. Sometimes I may have a clear image in mind for what I want to create (a few of these images come from my dreams or visions). Composition and colour scheme are important to me; as is making the collage aesthetically pretty.

‘Eva’ by Gloria Sanchez

‘The Bat’ by Gloria Sanchez

My working days are always basically the same. I work and live in a cozy flat with my husband and a cute hamster. My work space consist in two big tables in an L-shape, a laptop, a big screen, a Intuos Wacom tablet, and a bunch of notebooks, pens, and post-it notes. I also have an inspiration wall that’s full of quotes! It’s pretty minimal, but comfortable. I don’t really start working on anything actually creative until around 5pm. I always factor in a break to go to the gym and relieve any stresses, then continue to work often until midnight!

‘Across the Universe’ by Gloria Sanchez

For anyone starting in the world of collage, I recommend just making what makes you happy. It doesn’t matter if it is analog or digital; collect a bunch of images and play with them! Work hard daily and be consistent. Enjoy the process.

behance.net/gloriasanchez | instagram.com/gloriasanchezartist