Soft, peach-colored skies and windy mornings. Ericeira has this thing, where the best things any coastal town could have come together in the smoothest way.

This world-class surf town vividly showcases the beauty of Portugal’s beaches and an immersing foreign and local art scene.

I met Carolin one morning, while she was carefully placing two luring art pieces on a white-washed wooden wall. Blue-toned lines and graceful waves drew up something close to a whale or a manta ray - or that’s what I saw. But that’s the key to any abstract piece: the wonderment.

A few days later, with coffee and heavenly açaí bowls on the side at Nalu Bowls, I chatted with Carolin - a German artist, entrepreneur, and founder of Heart Brush.

J: How do you start your day?

C: My mornings are slow. I really love coffee, it’s part of my daily routine. Sometimes I go for a walk on the beach and do a little meditation. Some other times I go straight to my computer and work on my business. It is a very intuitive routine.

I do SEO on the side. When you start as an artist, it’s hard to live from it. But let’s see, maybe one day I will live from my art. I always say art is my feminine side and SEO my masculine one.

J: How did Heart Brush happen? Is there a story behind the name?

C: The name came because it’s art from the heart. One year ago I quit my job and started traveling and focusing on art, growing, and thinking of what I could put out there.

J: Do you remember painting as a child?

C: I remember one moment when my mom brought me her portfolio - her little portfolio from when she was young. She loved to paint. I was really impressed because I didn’t know. I was nine when I realized she could paint. I was so impressed I think I started to paint, too. I didn’t take lessons, I just tried on my own. I sat in the living room painting plants and vases, and it turned out really nice, my mom was really proud.

J: When did you start to paint full-time?

C: I have been painting all my life. I did my A-levels in Art and had my first art exhibitions. After studying Economics, I think I started to get blocked. I didn’t feel like painting, but when my sister got married, I wanted to give her something from the heart, personal. So I painted her a portrait.

I studied Economics and started working, and that’s when I learned SEO. I became an expert but later realized that sitting all day in front of a computer wasn’t for me.

J: How would you define creativity?

C: I think creativity is in all of us. Many people think they aren’t creative, but I believe that’s not true. Creativity is in every one of us and sometimes it gets blocked. Creativity is shown in different ways. Maybe you cook, you decorate, you paint, you dance. That’s also why I wanted to do workshops, something I look forward to continuing.

J: I read on your site that “art comes from intuition”, how?

C: After COVID, I started to do abstract, intuitive art. I see many people are busy, when I was that busy I wasn’t creative. Creativity came to me when I was bored. It happens when you become quiet and listen to your heart and feel like saying “oh, I want to create something.”

J: And what inspires you to create?

C: Nature and the ocean. Some days I want to paint with a lot of color and others only with nature’s color palette.

J: Do you think you have a certain style?

C: It tends to change but I would say my style is “wavy.” My friends say I have a wavy style.

J: Do you have a ritual before painting?

C: Yes. I put on music, I see if it’s right, I feel my body. It’s spontaneous, too. I treat myself well and focus.

J: Do you know when a painting is done or do you tend to go back to it?

C: This is also very intuitive, it’s a process. Sometimes my paintings are ready in five minutes and I feel like, wow, it’s pretty, I can stop. But I don’t want to stop, I want to paint, I want to enjoy the process, and I feel like I might mess it up. But you really can’t mess it up.

It’s a long process at times. I can leave the painting alone for two days and then adjust something. Like these paintings, they were ready in three hours.

J: That’s fast.

C: It is fast. It’s like a sport.

J: Do you have any favorite art pieces?

C: These, actually. These are part of a four-piece collection. They are part of my first big collection here in Portugal.

J: I think I can predict the answer, but why Ericeira? Are you planning on staying here?

C: I came here two years ago for four days by myself. I remember feeling alone, I wasn’t really talking to a lot of people. Then I went to Algarve, came back, and felt this vibe. I couldn’t feel that before, I was impressed. I felt at home, it feels good.

Photos by Jossie Ayón

Special thanks: Carolin Schwärzer

Ericeira, Portugal

See Carolin’s work: carolinschwaerzer.com