Noelia Towers

Empathy and Enlightenment

- Gwynned Vitello

A successful short story may be a writer's greatest challenge. There's no space for meandering, verbose flourishes, a cast of characters, and the landing has to stick. Only a confident voice can frame the hook, invent that memorable protagonist, and concoct a twist that grabs the viewer. Noelia Towers is a master of such impact, but she does it with oils on a single canvas, usually painting a solitary subject, whether a fraught pair of hands, a partially obscured face or a decaying bouquet of flowers. Unexpected vantage points, bold color choices and focused specificity seduce us in an invitation to join her as collaborators in this collective mystery of life, love and longing. Like lucky readers of a good short story, we get to engage with vulnerability, conflict, and mystery in Noelia's beautiful, haunting portrayals.

Gwynned Vitello: I feel that there's an absolutely unblinking honesty about Spanish portraiture. It's never prettified or sentimental. Being a native of Barcelona, I wonder if you agree with me. Do you feel that Spanish blood in your art?

Noelia Towers: As a Catalonian with a deep sense of the complexities surrounding our identity and history, my perspective is marked by the struggle and tension inherent in our region's relationship with Spain, particularly its historical association with fascism.