10 Questions with July Cortes Cardenas

July Cortes Cardenas is a self-taught Soap Artist based in Auckland, New Zealand, and originally from Bogota, Colombia. As a former Pastry Chef, she has transferred her skills into soap making and has developed her own techniques focused on adding a massive recognition value.
She has collaborated with many international artists through her business, Awesome Soaps, and was one of the artists invited to Artweek Auckland, 2021.

awesomesoaps.co.nz | @julycortescardenas

ARTIST STATEMENT

She experiments with shapes, colours, materials, and lots of soap, constantly looking for the extraordinary side of ordinary things, using her unique perspective as a foundation. July draws with piping bags, paints with makeup, food colourants, and soap colourants, including some interesting 'ingredients' in her artworks like paprika, turmeric, or nail polish, creating authentic Self-portraits and Landscapes.

Landscape GX, Soap, A4, 2022 © July Cortes Cardenas

INTERVIEW

First of all, how would you describe yourself and your work?

I describe myself as a very nice, fun person, a self-taught soap artist and an entrepreneur who loves to learn, create and innovate as much as I can, and someone who really wants to leave something behind, a legacy, a gift for the next generations to come while having fun and enjoying the journey. I describe my work as ‘so abstract-cool’, sweet and gorgeous.

Why are you an artist, and when did you first become one?

Although I have always loved all arts-related, I always thought that I wasn’t talented and smart enough to become an artist, and this concept about myself came mainly from my teachers and relatives since I was a little kid. Arts were not considered a ‘real’ career either, nor a way to make a living, so it was not encouraged in schools or society to take this path. I come from a very humble and hard-working family, so we had to build our path in life with any resources we had.
I repressed my idea of becoming an artist for almost my whole life until I saved money for many years to move to New Zealand and start a brand-new life in 2017.
I became an artist ‘late’ in life when I could free myself of many things and thoughts that were holding me back. I took everything I had, my experiences, background, and skills, and I decided to create and build my own talent, my own style with a unique recognition value. I was told I didn’t have any talent, and probably I’m not the next Van Gogh, indeed, but I’m very consistent and perseverant, and it’s well-known that discipline and hard work beat talent. Maybe I don’t know to draw with a pencil, but I do know to do it with a piping bag.

Landscape NZ (detail) © July Cortes Cardenas

You have an interesting background, as you are a former Pastry Chef. How does this background influence your current work?

I studied Cookery, Pastry, and Bakery, and at 22, I took what I had learned so far, and I started my first small business with only $30, making Chocolates and Fortune Cookies, where I worked tirelessly for almost 12 years. All this experience and skills are the foundations of nearly everything I’m doing now because I have a lot of practical knowledge about utensils, colourants, and materials that can be applied in arts and business as well.
When I started my new soap-making business named Awesome Soaps in 2020, I thought it was great to transfer my skills into the soap-making field and start combining them with art to make pretty cool artwork. I didn’t know how to do it initially, but I just gave it a try, and I haven’t stopped since then.
During that year, I did a lot of Artist Collabs, turning their artwork into soap. It helped me improve, develop new skills and build my portfolio, and after much trial and error, I made my first Original Soap Art, and the feeling of doing real art was terrific that I kept practicing and doing more and more.

You work with soap, but also incorporate many different materials in your paintings, such as nail polish, spices, food colorants, or makeup. Can you tell us about the process of creating your work?

I dare say that I owe a considerable part of my creative process to COVID-19 with its endless lockdowns. When I was at home, I ran out of many materials, including the soap colourants, so I started exploring my house, and I used everything I had, my makeup, nail polish, and everything that might add colour. I used almost all the kitchen utensils as ‘canvas’. At the end of the lockdowns, I didn’t have plates, spoons, or makeup, and I even used the blender jug to paint on it (no more smoothies for me). Usually, the process depends on my source of inspiration and the theme, and it changes a lot if I want to make a self-portrait or a landscape, or if I want to draw on a light bulb or MDF, the process changes and the technique as well.

How did you come up with such a technique?

When I started looking for tutorials about soap making on Google, I couldn’t find anything about soap art like original paintings or sculptures, or real art. Therefore I saw this as an opportunity, and I started working on it. In the beginning, it was challenging because I had no idea what I was doing, so I repeatedly tried to see what was working out and what wasn’t. I constantly keep working on developing new techniques and trying new colours. I make my piping bags, and as they are usually tiny, drawing with them is a bit painful after a while but absolutely worth the pain.

Self-portrait, Hangover, Soap, 20cm, 2021 © July Cortes Cardenas

What are your sources of inspiration? Do you have any artist or artistic movement that particularly influences your work?

I love Miro and Banksy, but my sources of inspiration come from the colourants: I usually spend a lot of time in the supermarket looking for anything that can add something unique, like a different texture, colour, or even smell. The ‘canvas’: If I see glass, tile, MDF, or old light bulbs, I must give it a try. The ‘design’: My self-portraits come from thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, so they mainly depend on my mood, which means from the inside. The landscapes come from the outside; any images, figures, or a stain that I may see on a wall, the rubbish, or a mess at home are a great source of inspiration to paint a landscape.
And my favourite source of inspiration is this motto: ‘looking for the extraordinary side of ordinary things.’

What’s the essential element in your art?

Apart from the raw material like soap or makeup, being myself and standing for what I’m creating is my key element, and it’s easy said than done, right? I have many doubts sometimes, but it’s impossible to create and innovate if I don’t believe that what I’m doing is worthy. In arts and life, self-confidence is vital.
Another essential element for me is New Zealand; living here has allowed becoming an artist. New Zealand is a wonderful and supportive country, full of colour, where I only need to look around to find inspiration. It has not been easy at all, I have worked my butt off, but my work and many things I have done so far (including this interview) would have never existed if I had never come to New Zealand.

Do you find that the shift to digital exhibitions and art fairs has helped promote your work?

I think my work doesn’t fit very well in digital exhibitions, as they have a lot of textures that online visitors might not see in a digital context. However, I have turned most of my artwork into NFTs mainly to be the digital owner of my paintings, as everything is going digital, so I see it as a way to protect my work. In addition, I do my own PR to promote myself, and my business helps me promote it through the website and vice-versa. I will be retaking art exhibitions in 2023.

What do you think about the art community and market?

I’m relatively very new in the art scene, I started in 2020 when the world went crazy, and all events were cancelled. I’m on my own so far, and I’m not selling my artwork either. From an entrepreneurial point of view, I see there are a lot of opportunities, many free resources, information, and support, and it’s possible and easier to connect to other artists from different fields and backgrounds and build a brand and a community.

Finally, any projects you are looking forward to for this year?

My biggest project is practicing a lot to improve, grow, and become a master in my area. On the other hand, I’m looking forward to getting more exposure to magazines and doing artist and business collaborations with charities and small businesses.

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