Estibaliz Hernández de Miguel: Shuffle Back in Line

Shuffle Back in Line, by Estibaliz Hernández de Miguel.
15% of the sale of this print goes to Doctors Without Borders.

Estibaliz Hernández de Miguel is a self-taught artist, freelance illustrator, and amateur storyteller, who lives in Bilbao, Spain, and works under the name of Pintameldia (this stands for Paintmyday).

For twenty years she was involved in the music industry - managing bands, founding an indie record label, writing in music zines, promoting concerts, and running a chain of record stores. You can feel this connection to music throughout her artwork. Even though as a child she always liked to draw, she took up a pen and a sketchbook late in her twenties and only stopped for a brief time when her first daughter was born. She took it up again later when the craving to make art was too loud to bear.

She has collaborated on several projects, designing for an Argentinean fashion brand, and promoting her own project, “We are a Happy Family”, along with eight international artists. She is currently working on some children’s books.



About the print:
I was watching a video shot by Juan Rayos called Carving the Mountains. The song used in the video is Rox in the Box by the Decemberists. The lyrics "...and you shuffle back in line" got into my head. I considered my initial impression (more related to the complete lyrics of the song), but after handling the words separately for a while, the image evolved into these women standing in line, who had probably forgotten where they were heading in the first place. Some feel lost, while others have a more active attitude.

This is a digital print on acid free, Neenah uncoated matte 100lb cover paper that is 80% recycled. It was digitally signed by the artist and was numbered by The Working Proof.

PURCHASE $35!

What have you been up to since we last worked together?
I have been trying hard to get my work out there. I finally opened an Etsy shop and recently collaborated with the fashion brand La Casita de Wendy and their Crafter Project and publishing company, Impedimenta. Fortunately, I have also been featured and mentioned on many blogs.

On a more personal level, we are trying to build a house, which has turned out to be more complicated than expected. I am fighting daily with the feeling of most of my energy being taken away by setbacks and bureaucracy. The silver lining is that I now have a renewed interest in decoration and design.

And, I've definitely been drawing a lot.



Your work features women or girls in childlike situations. How do children or your childhood inspire you?
My childhood was a very happy one. I come from a big family, full of strong and opinionated women. I spent my childhood playing around with my brother, sister, and cousins, under the surveillance of my mom, my gramma and my aunts. I was quite the observant type - fascinated by the adult world and their conversations and relationships. Now it just feels right to draw feminine characters and their interactions. I also have two daughters who inspire me every single day.

What is the meaning behind the lampshade on the heads of the women in your artwork?
A lot of people ask me about the origins of the lamp-ladies. Like many of my drawings, it comes from a dream that I had, which in turn was inspired by a conversation with a friend. That conversation revolved around the burka. I had happened to see my first woman-in-a-burka in Bilbao and I had been shocked. Later that day, we discussed how a piece of fabric is capable of distorting the image of a person, turning her into a shadow. The conversation revolved around that idea, and around how we all have our own “modern burkas” - clothes or brands that we wear as symbols of status or modern tribal communication.

That night, I was fortunate to dream of these sweet lamp-ladies - lamp shades hiding their faces, their expressions, smiles, tears, beauty and flaws. But, on the contrary, they gave me very good vibes. They were a little confused but strong, melancholic but radiant, enlightened.

What I mean is we are all prisoners of symbols and it’s important how we don them. My lamp-ladies belong to their own tribe of delicate and confused warriors.



Why did you choose to pair Doctors Without Borders with your print?
I chose to pair my print with Médecins Sans Frontières because saving lives is as heroic as can be. MSF provides medical aid to those in need of care, no matter the geographic, political situation, or religious beliefs. It means a lot to me to contribute to them in this way.

How has your work developed over the last year?
My style has always been defined by my technical limitations. I have learned to work within them. As a self-taught artist, I find myself in a position where I know what I want to be on the paper, and I have to work my way around to accomplish it. This year I’ve been learning to work with more textures and I have also plunged into more illustrative work. I feel more confident developing my usual topics, and now I believe my work has a personal seal that was blurred before. Also, I am less scared of trying new things.

What is inspiring you these days?
First of all, I am inspired by the massive amount of work by others that I see daily. I try to soak everything in. Seeing how other artists work triggers my imagination and my desire to create. As always, I am drawn to anything related to magic, folklore and sentiment, but only if expressed in a very simple way.

Also, there’s always literature and music - and lyrics, phrases and words which evoke images. Right now I am trying to release lots of drawings which are based on those evocative images.

Estibaliz's previous edition: I Bring the Magic, You Bring the Cookies.