Jasmin Riva

Putting Passion to Paper

Jasmin Riva’s watercolors are a quiet conversation between emotion and nature. Raised in Northern Italy surrounded by her father’s abstract paintings, she learned early to translate feeling into color and form. Now based in Deià, Mallorca, Jasmin draws daily inspiration from the island’s shifting light, blooming flowers, and vibrant landscapes.

Her work weaves together the human figure and botanical patterns, capturing movement and mood with delicate brushstrokes. In her workshops, Jasmin invites participants to embrace creativity as a form of self-expression and healing—not perfection. For her, painting is a way to slow down, feel deeply, and connect with the surrounding beauty. Through both teaching and making, she explores how art can be a tool for self-discovery and joy.

Learn more about Jasmin in our interview below:

Hi Jasmin, we’re so happy to have you as dada-days’ watercolor artist. Can you share a bit about your creative journey – how did you first get into painting, and what has shaped your path since?

I’ve always been a very sensitive being, moved by everything around me, color, shapes, light, about anything can bring tears of joy or nostalgia to my eyes! Growing up in my dad’s studio, watching him paint enormous abstract paintings made it pretty clear to me that I was meant to put all these emotions onto paper. 

I’ve attended many life drawing classes which allowed me to fall in love with posture and body language and these can convey. I’ve always loved nature and taken inspiration by the color combinations in flowers and botanicals. floral patterns have always adorned the bodies I paint and played a big role in my artwork!

As an Italian artist, what inspired your move to Mallorca? What is it about Deià in particular that makes it such a unique and meaningful place to create?

I had been travelling and moving for a long time, however I felt the need for a base, somewhere to grow my art and enjoy the seasons. I had never been to the island before and found a temporary job as an olive oil harvester for a couple weeks, I thought this would be a good opportunity to clear my head and think where to go next, and where to find this base… I fell in love with the island and never left since! Mallorca has a beautiful and lively art community which I am so grateful for. Deià inspires me daily with its landscapes, fruits, colors, flowers – you can walk the same path every week and I assure you, you’ll find a new flower has bloomed or fruit has ripened! There is just infinite inspiration wherever you look – it’s like living in a painting!

When your inspiration runs low, where do you turn? Are there particular places, practices, or people that help you reconnect with your creativity?

I usually find myself having the opposite problem, I often get overwhelmed by the beauty of life and want to capture it all on paper. This feeling is all-consuming, like having a long to-do list and staring at it not knowing where to start. So I often go for a walk to the cala and have a long swim. Water always brings me back to center, back to my senses, and the present moment. From this calm place, I can create with a clear mind.

You recently spent a month at an art residency in England. What residencies, projects, or creative moments are you most proud of? Are there any upcoming projects or exhibitions we can look forward to?

Yes! This residency has been so nourishing. In my time here, I’ve let the green hills and bright Cornish flowers inspire me. A new collection of artworks produced during my time here will be available shortly. I’m so excited about being part of the upcoming July show in Morgans Gallery in Falmouth, Cornwall, where you’ll find some of my new Cornwall inspired pieces!

What do you hope participants will take away from your workshop? What kinds of skills or insights can they expect to walk away with?

I think we all need a way to make sense of our emotions and process complicated feelings into something tangible. In a society driven by productivity, we often negate the importance of creating simply for the fun of it. It’s not about making something that belongs in a museum—it’s about enjoying the process. People often tell me, “I can’t paint,” but that’s really not the point. Once they sit down and start playing with colors and brushstrokes, they usually end up feeling great. That simple act of creating—without pressure—can be surprisingly powerful. It gives you a chance to slow down, notice what’s around you, and check in with yourself. For me, painting can feel a bit like therapy or meditation, and that’s something I love to share with others. It’s less about the final result, and more about how it makes you feel while you’re doing it.

You might love it, be great at it, actually end up in the Tate… Who knows! (laughs) but if you just do it for you, you’ve already learnt such a beautiful life tool.

How does teaching influence your own creative process? Has sharing your practice with others changed the way you approach your own work?

Teaching is always beautiful, to pass on to others a passion, love for something, to explain to them how to do something you’ve learned to do yourself through hours and years of making mistakes and learning – that itself is a beautiful thing! I think teaching forced me to put into words and technique something that comes natural or comes from practice, this has been quite helpful for my own creative process, allowing me to use my own knowledge In a more technical way and get more out of it!