“I usually do most of my work on weekends,  when I can paint for hours at a time .  I like to start a piece and finish it in one shot , mostly because stopping and revisiting pieces really breaks up my flow and dilutes my original vision. In fact, most weekends you can find me holed up at home, in my work clothes,  just  painting away,” said Yasmin Yliana when we recently spoke about her artwork, and current hop into the live art scene in Albuquerque – get it? Hop…

Anyway, as we continued to talk to this creative, energetic, and funny young artist about what works, what excites her, and what her process entails, we figured it would be fun to share her answers with you, as part of our #Favorite blog series. That’s right, Yasmin is becoming one of our “favorites” on the Beer Farm; she recently painted at not only Art Fight Round 6, but also I’LL Drink To That’s 3 Year  Anniversary Party – with her paint brush and pint in hand, this bubbly lady sat down to talk about the scene and suds around Wells Park.

“I have always been a creative person , often drawing or crafting, and I would paint every so often – for birthday gifts or special occasions but it never really stuck. Then all of a sudden,  about a year and a half ago, something ignited this passion and I just became consumed by it,   pretty soon I found that whenever I had free time I knew I wanted to spend it with a paint brush in my hand,” said Yasmin, when asked about how long she has been painting. It’s hard to think that just a litter over a year’s worth of focused energy, has created the talented artist that Yasmin is. She is confident and precise when painting at Tractor events. We asked her about her experience with these types of situations, figuring she had a performance background, or live painting debut that came before her days at Tractor.

“I had never painted in front of anyone other than close friends or family before “going live ” at Tractor.  It had never even occurred to me to paint in front of an audience, and I really appreciate that Tractor gives us artists the chance to share what we do with spectators,” she said. We ought to be, and always are, the ones who are thankful, here on the Beer Farm. The bevy of artists that have brought their brushes and brandished canvases with colorful creations are too numerous to name at this point, but we couldn’t be happier, and more thankful for the culture being created by art being created constantly in our tap rooms. The feeling inside our tap room when the poetry, music, or paint is flowing, is simply amazing. Yasmin touched on it when she said, “I must admit, I felt a bit intimidated when Carlos (Tractor’s Good Times Liaison) first invited me to come paint live. I thought it would be such a nerve wracking experience but it’s quite the contrary .  Being surrounded by, and talking to people while you work is so inspiring, I have had nothing but positive experiences when I have painted live at Tractor . In fact, I really enjoy it!” We enjoy it too. The events and artists involved create a world of excitement that is hard to describe – you just have to be there.

Speak of excitement, we asked Yasmin what excites her about painting and how she chooses what to paint, to begin with. “I choose themes for my paintings based on whatever inspires me at the moment.  I love my culture,  I am half Mexican , and I would say my biggest influences come from my background and certain traditions,  infused with a little retro flair,” said Yasmin…. Well it’s a flair we have come to learn and love! In learning what her favorite on the farm is and how to get a hold of her, we closed with her contact info and favorite Tractor beer. She said: “I am currently working on getting a website up and running so that I can have all of my work in one place. Until then , I can be found on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/yasminywattar , I have much of my artwork is displayed there,  and stay tuned for more details on my website coming soon!”

And as far as beer: “The Haymaker Honey Wheat is my all time fave for sure – It’s delicious and refreshing!”

Cheers, Yasmin – cheers!