English Version | Lifestyle Portfolio: The horror effect

“Welder Wings” was the name Francisco Abril and Nuria Velasco picked when it was time to fly beyond the limits of creativity. 

© Welder Wings
© Welder Wings

Perhaps love is not the first thing that comes to mind when we look at the works of Welder Wings - full of skulls, loose eyes, and creepy insects - surreal visions worthy of a dream (or a nightmare). Still, this is the foundation on which the artists' concept was built, so much so that the Spanish couple explains that they do not consider themselves "especially dark." In an interview with Vogue Portugal, Francisco Abril and Nuria Velasco, the names behind Welder Wings, explain that "yes, it is true that some of our art can become more gothic or macabre, but we always provide a counterbalance to that more distressing side, showing that even in those circumstances there can be beauty. The world can be quite disturbing in general, but it is also vibrant, beautiful and full of things that cause us sensations." Francisco and Nuria are more than a couple, together they are an unbeatable duo. "In principle we are both the ones who imagine and create the works of art," although sometimes "one starts and finishes, if at that moment he is more inspired. Even so, we have a pact that each creation must please both of us. If this is not the case, the illustration will never be presented -and believe me, it often happens." The surreal visions that Welder Wings conceive digitally are inspired by the most mundane things in everyday life: "Books, movies, artists we admire, and even news." Taking these little things, Francisco and Nuria say that "in the end, what we try to transmit are our own thoughts or reflections, and that is what we try to capture in our artworks." This is a creative team effort that depends a lot on "how clear is what we want to we want to show," they clarify. "If we are satisfied, it can be very short and, if not, it can take days, weeks, or even months, and when that happens it can also become a very tedious process of trial and error until we find what we want." For the couple, the secret to maintaining creativity is to try to "create daily, without leaving any day behind, even if later [the final result ] is discarded, because that's how we learn and evolve."

We can't help but wonder which came first: Welder Wings or Francisco and Nuria? The Spaniards explain: "We were already a couple before the birth of Welder Welder Wings' birth, and we have always enjoyed doing artistic projects together." It was the digital medium that made them bet on the idea, as it "opened an infinite window to what we imagined inside ourselves." Always we have always heard that love and business don't mix but it seems that Francisco and Nuria's case is proof of how it can have the potential to bring two people (even closer) together people: "It is really great to have a project in common, even even more, one that has given us so much satisfaction. Even when things don't go our way or don't go as we expected, we are in this together. It's really rewarding to let our imagination fly together every day and escape a boring and stressful routine thanks to Welder Wings."

Translated from the original on The Butterfly Effect issue from Vogue Portugal, published October 2022.Full story and credits on the print issue.