Taking advantage of the edition of the third volume of my art, I gave myself the whim of compiling portraits previous to my erotic stage, adding some new ones and giving shape to this book.
INTRODUCTION OF THE BOOK
After spending all my childhood drawing, attending to numerous courses and workshops on oil painting, comics and illustration, I realized —after being on my thirties— that I didn’t know how to draw. Or at least not as I wanted to. I am refering to 2016, when I decided, out of the sudden, that I would draw every day until something would satisfy me. At that time I was working in a graphic design studio and, in addition, I was in charge of taking care of my son, a 7-year-old boy. And yet, in the evenings I found the time to disconnect from everything and focus on the paper and pencil.
I learned that when something motivates you, when something really interests you, you always find the time to do it. And that there is only one way to learn to draw, which is drawing itself. Drawing a lot. I found in the portrait the necessary motivation to keep going. Although drawing has always been something very intimate to me, I really enjoyed sharing it with at least one other person. They say that artists are beings moved by the tension between their desire to communicate and their desire to hide. I was hiding in art and isolating myself from the world, and at the same time, it gave me the opportunity to meet people and share what I was creating.
And, little by little, things came out and I felt comfortable with a pencil in my hand. It wasn’t easy and sometimes darkness absorbed me. A bad drawing could bring me down and fear could dominate my motivation. To create is to lose fears, to return to your childhood. And when a drawing absorbed me, I lost track of time and everything around me was just fine. That feeling was gaining ground and, at the moment, I remember those moments with nostalgia and a certain bit of gratitude. Even so, I still think that dissatisfaction is a great motivator for artists. Be wary of those artists who never innovate!
I tell all this in case someone might find it useful. The beginnings in any field are never easy, but I am sure that anyone who invests in the necessary amount of hours can become whatever they want to be. I don’t mean to impose the philosophy of “everything is possible”, but to demystify the concept of “innate talent” and, at the same time, to value to the infinity of spent hours. Even accepting that there may be a certain predisposition to be good at something, it requires hard work.
Having said that, I would like to present this compilation of portraits created between 2016 and 2023. I have made a selection of the ones that have instilled me the most, even if I observe many mistakes in them. Also one sees an expressiveness that has been lost over the years, as if it was necessary to leave things along the way to move forward. A nice and necessary exercise, which I hope moves and inspires you.
đź”´ La Belle Cicatrice 