Cinta Vidal’s fist US-based solo exhibition ‘Gravities’ opened at Thinkspace Gallery in the project room, Saturday, July 20th and is on view through August 13th. The exhibition is a collection of new works commenting on relationships and the various perspectives within one scene. In our interview with Cinta Vidal for ‘Gravities’, we discuss her creative process and life as a painter.
SH: What motivated you to get an apprenticeship and work at the Castells Planes Scenography Atelier at 16? Do you think taking on that kind of responsibility at that age has shaped you as an artist now?
CV: It happened a little bit by coincidence, as the workshop is located in the same village where I live, and I have friends there. Since I have been working there I have learned many things and one of them is respect and responsibility at work.
SH: Your work has often been compared to MC Escher, but how much influence has his art actually played on your work (if any)?
CV: MC Escher’s work has always fascinated me. It’s an honor to be compared with him. However, he was not an inspiration for my artworks. He plays with optical illusions and I don’t. In some occasions our languages look similar but I think there is a big difference between us, since his approach is very mathematical and mine is rather human.
SH: What was the inspiration behind this latest exhibition?
CV: I always find inspiration in human relations (relations among humans and also between humans and their environment). I seek to talk about shared loneliness, setting people very close to each other but at the same time very far from a gravitational point of view. I also like to set my tiny characters in various environments, both architectural and natural, so that I can provoke several feelings from the viewer.
SH: Your work features many different planes of activity, there is a central point, but it is not bound by the idea of up or down, how do the stories with in the work unfold and find direction? What is your creative process?
CV: My creative process always starts with a sketch made of vanishing lines. I try to attach importance to every point of view, and to create more than only one outstanding scene in each painting. All paintings can be turned around and have 2, 3 or 4 possible points of view. My goal is to let viewers interact with each painting. To let them explore a painting and decide which scene they like most.
SH: What does your idea day in the studio look like?
CV: Relaxing but active. I always begin with a coffee and the preparation of the paints. After having started I often lose track of time and I must be told once it is time to have lunch or dinner.
SH: How do you work through a creative blocks?
CV: It is a matter of not getting stressed. In my job there are uncreative tasks, like preparing wood, sanding or transferring images onto wood. When I don’t feel creative I focus on these rather mechanical tasks so that I can keep moving forward.
SH: Your entire life seems to be a commentary on scale and perspective, from working on the scenography to then the small details found within your paintings. Do these different artistic expressions feed off each other or are they two separate ideas in your life?
CV: They feed off each other. In fact, the only important difference is scale and that different technical procedures are required. I feel comfortable with both artistic expressions. Also, after having spent much time working in one of them I always need to switch to the other.
SH: Favorite thing to do when not working?
CV: Relax. I like the pleasure of doing nothing.
SH: What elements of other artists work excites you? Are you looking forward to any upcoming exhibitions?
CV: I like many artists. I am passionate most of all about artists with a stroke that is free, and spontaneous. I pay much attention to details and it is hard for me to be like them, thus I admire pretty much these artworks where spontaneity can be perceived.
To view all available works from the exhibition please visit the Thinkspace Gallery website here:
http://thinkspacegallery.com/shows/cintavidal-2016/show-pieces/
