Colombia-based illustrator, known simply as Herikita, makes delightful illustrations that are immersed in patterns and textures. “I’ve always painted,” she told Booooooom. “I’ve always felt the need to show that world that was in my head, to pass it through my hands so that others can see it.”
Describing her work process as somewhat secretive (“I work at midnight like Cinderella’s mice,” she writes on her website, “almost always when everyone is sleeping and something pops up in my mind”), she treats her work as a platform to communicate her thoughts and feelings.
And like most artists, her biggest fear is not leaving a trace behind her. “I want my paintings to survive, I want to tell the story of my life to whoever is interested,” she says. “I think that life can not be just to born and to die and that you have to leave a mark on others, in the world, whatever it means.”
Still, her work is undeniably optimistic, full of splendor and whimsicality. “Every day I think everything could have gone so wrong, but everything is fine,” she admits. “I am an optimist, I think, maybe not. I think I’m proud of not having ruined it, in general.”
Check out some of her work in the gallery below.