Please tell us a bit about yourself and the journey you have taken to becoming an artist.

I’ve always been drawn to creativity - it’s something that’s been with me for as long as I can remember. As a child, I would doodle on anything I could get my hands on, even restaurant paper tablecloths, letting my imagination flow.

When I was 14 and had to choose a subject to study, art was the only thing that truly made sense to me. I pursued a degree in painting in Lisbon and later moved to London to complete a master’s in printmaking.

What started as a temporary step became permanent, and I’ve been living in London ever since.

For a while, I worked in galleries and stepped away from creating and found myself missing the connection that art brought to my life. Eventually, I returned to painting, and it felt like coming home. Now, I’m fully focused on my practice and the life I’ve built around it, embracing creativity as an integral part of who I am. It’s been a journey of rediscovery and finding my voice again, and I’m grateful for the twists and turns that led me here and everything I’ve learned along the way.

Tell us about your studio practice. Where and how do you create your artworks and what does a day in the life of Rita Matos look like?

I have a studio space in East London, at Three Waters near Bromley-by-Bow station.

I’m fortunate to have a workspace by the water, which is close enough to home so that I can cycle in. The ride itself is part of my inspiration process - I often find inspiration in the small details I notice on the way like the way light reflects on the water or the way the sky light changes at the end of the day.

I keep a very organized studio to create a calm environment for starting the day. The first thing I do each morning is set up my tools, laying out my brushes and paints on the floor where I work. If I’m beginning a new collection, I start by preparing a colour swatch to use as a reference. I also document the formulas for each colour I mix, so I can replicate them consistently throughout the series.

I typically work on collections of six to ten pieces at a time, so the studio is usually full of canvases in various stages of completion. My process involves moving between multiple works, which keeps my energy flowing and allows ideas to develop organically. I also make my own canvases and frames, so when I’m not painting or handling admin tasks, I’m often prepping canvases or sanding frames.

At the end of the day, I clean all my brushes, put the paints back into the cupboard, and tidy the space for the next day. If a painting is dry, I’ll hang it on the walls, but most often, they’re left to dry overnight. My studio practice is a blend of structure and creativity, giving me the freedom to immerse myself in the work while keeping everything flowing smoothly.

How do you find inspiration for your art and what sparks the beginning of a new piece?

I find inspiration for my art in my everyday experiences. I’m constantly drawn to the colours and shapes I encounter daily, whether it’s the way light falls on a surface or the subtle changes in the seasons. Light plays a significant role in my work - it influences the mood and palette of each collection and often guides the direction it takes.

Interestingly, my works also inspire future pieces. I frequently use small details from one artwork - like a pencil mark, a shape, or even a particular colour - as a starting point for new creations. This allows my collections to feel interconnected, with each piece contributing to an ongoing dialogue in my practice. Inspiration, for me, is both external and internal, growing out of my surroundings and the evolution of my own work and emotions.

We know that music often plays a key role in an artist's process. What kind of music do you listen to help you ‘getting in the zone’?

Music and sound play an important role in my creative process, but it varies depending on the task at hand. When I’m preparing canvases or making frames, I often listen to podcasts. I enjoy having voices in the background - it fills the space and keeps me engaged during those more methodical tasks.

When it comes to painting, though, I turn to music, particularly indie pop. I like to mix my favourites on repeat with new releases. Music helps me find my rhythm and stay in the zone while I’m working on a painting.

We love the colour palette of your work, playfully bouncing between blues, greens and purples. Do these colours hold any personal significance to you?

Greens and blues are a big part of my work, as the sea and sky are constant sources of inspiration for me. I grew up by the water, and it's something I deeply miss. Living in London, I often wake up to grey skies, so I think subconsciously, I bring blue skies into my daily life through my work.

I gravitate towards pinks and purples in my work because they were often described to me as unconventional or even 'off-limits.' That idea intrigued me, and I wanted to challenge those notions by embracing these colours and exploring their potential to evoke strong emotions or convey bold ideas. Together, these colours represent my connection to nature, my upbringing, and my desire to challenge creative boundaries

If you could collaborate with a historical figure - real or fictional - who would it be and what kind of art would you make together?

If I could collaborate with a historical figure, it would undoubtedly be Agnes Martin.

Her serene, meditative approach to abstraction and her deep focus on subtle emotional resonance align beautifully with my artistic practice.

I would like to believe that together we would create a series of works that explore the interplay between structure and spontaneity

We could experiment with layering whilst combining her disciplined precision with my embrace of accident and unpredictability and we would explore the interplay between structure and spontaneity, seeking to create immersive compositions where the viewer might oscillate between the serene and the dynamic, between quiet contemplation and the energy of fragmentation.

If you could choose three pieces of work from Artsnug to ‘snuggle up with’ which would they be?

For me, it would have to be ‘Turning Sky’ by Sarah Weedon, ‘Arizona V’ by Anna Macdonald and ‘Like Life’ by Carrie Jean Goldsmith!

SHOP RITA MATOS’ ARTWORK