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[title]The plastic artist Florencia Aise finds that throughout her career, three recurring series have emerged, although they are never the same. The grapes—typical of her Mendoza land—the hyperrealistic portraits—which have gained international fame—and the map collages—which feature unique materials and supports, as the work progresses. The creative process is variable, she assures, although there is a series of steps that she respects every time a painting or collage keeps her immersed.
She studied Industrial Design at UNCuyo, although as a child, she preferred paintings and papers over toys. In adolescence, this inclination grew even more, and since then, despite taking a few workshops, Florencia prepared for a self-taught path. Self-portraits, murals, hyperrealistic paintings of prominent personalities and contemporary politicians, family, vineyards, and objects all coexist in this artist's work.
Due to her technique and work, she has held numerous exhibitions in galleries in Buenos Aires—the most recent one in 2024 at Zurbarán—and international fairs in Rome, New York, or Art Basel Miami. She painted a portrait of Javier Milei upon request before he became President of Argentina, the Mendoza Legislature has portraits of governors created by her, and she has represented Argentina on transformative trips. The most recent, in 2023, invited by the Basu Foundation of the Arts, to showcase her work and share her knowledge.
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“My painting is mainly hyperrealism with oils, but sometimes I do realism and also collages. According to the gallerist Champi Gutiérrez Zaldívar (son of Ignacio), I’m three painters in one. That makes me happy because I’ve always had the need to experiment with different techniques and processes,” she explains.
According to the gallerist Champi Gutiérrez Zaldívar (son of Ignacio), I am three painters in one.
How is your creative process?
Each work always starts in my head, I imagine it, dream it, I see it. The second step is to search for more references, study where the image came from, and whether there are similar works. Then, most of the time, I sketch on the computer or by hand to check proportions. If it's a very large painting, I make grids to not lose perspective. I start with layers of paint, making a simplified drawing, and as it dries, I add the next ones. Finally, depending on whether the work will be framed or travel rolled up, I varnish it.
At what stage do you feel you are in relation to your painting and the themes that emerge?
I am in a stage of reinvention, renewal, and a lot of introspection. The concept of my work, in general, is on standby. I am living my present very consciously and redefining my future. The theme that keeps appearing, above all, is giving life and showing the essence I perceive in people, as creative beings and messengers through portraits. In 2025, I’m working on several horse paintings upon request, which are very significant for their owners.
I am in a stage of reinvention, renewal, and a lot of introspection.
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How is your relationship with artistic work, and what are the characteristics of your studio?
My studio is in my house, and I am a full-time mom, so it helps me to be there to avoid wasting time commuting. I think that in a few years, when my daughters are older, I will have a larger studio. I generally work every day, and since this is my passion, painting is also a time of rest.
Since this is my passion, painting is also a time of rest.
Where do you find your main references and inspirations?
I have thousands of references; from each artist I admire, I capture their qualities. Some in relation to their craft, others for their philosophy, and I also admire those who know how to take art to unexpected places. There are great Baroque and Renaissance artists who inspire me, like Artemisia Gentileschi or Sofonisba Anguissola, who were artists despite gender repression. What inspires me the most, without a doubt, are colors and learning. That means traveling a lot to change color, landscape, city, religion, and culture. Ultimately, to discover new things.
I admire those who know how to take art to unexpected places.
How did the opportunities to portray prominent personalities and politicians like President Javier Milei and other governors of Mendoza, such as Rodolfo Suárez or Alfredo Cornejo, come about?
The opportunities to paint well-known people come through my trajectory and also because I go out and search for them. I don't wait for things to come to me, I propose it to God and go look for the opportunity. I believe nothing is a coincidence. In Milei's case, it was a commission made by a businessman as a gift for him. In the case of the Mendoza Legislature, every time a term ends, an artist is asked to portray the governor and vice governor. In my case, I’ve been doing these paintings for the last two terms.
I don't wait for things to come to me, I propose it to God and go look for the opportunity.
For commissions and contact, here.
"Grape, Mother of Wine": the artist’s current exhibition in Mendoza
In her most recent show, which can be visited at the Park Hyatt Mendoza art gallery, Florencia Aise once again pays tribute to the grape. It consists of 25 paintings that, as she states, symbolize part of her identity and origins. In each bunch, the painter discovers a life that amazes her, at a time when the Vendimia harvest festival captures provincial attention. “In this exhibition, art intertwines with the life cycle of grapes, but also with wine. For me, the grape is a symbol and a way to pay tribute to my land,” she shares about this exhibition, with no confirmed end date.