Why did you create this work?
Antxoa Antonia is my ninety years old Basque godmother, reincarnated as fish, to celebrate an epic victory of her beloved football team: Athletic de Bilbao. She passed away only months before her dream came true: in 2024, they finally won the Spanish Cup. It was their first since 1984, ending a 40-year wait. And the players rided the Gabarra, sailing up the river. A barge only held twice in Athletic’s history. Antonia had watched both. Now this one, through a goodbye ritual.

How were your illustrations used?
A sea captain’s daughter (my grandpa), she grew up around fish. I am a scuba diver. We both love anchovies! I painted this on one of her family´s houses. By her birthplace, where the barge would sail. I had little time to paint and let dry before the crowds lined the banks. Since 1910, Athletic Club has played in red & white stripes. I was inspired by a player-shark drawing by my nephew Dani.

What materials and techniques did you use?
The concept came up naturally. Tools are Procreate and digital pencil, directly on tablet. I first traced an antxovie. Then did a simple bold illustration on red. To experiment I created a more complex image, playing with Basque font for the lettering. For poster and bags Txapeldunak means Champions

Was this project commissioned?
Un-commissioned / Self-initiated

College / University
Pictoplasma Academy

Personal Website or Portfolio Link
amayetta.com
Instagram
@hi_humanart