Thinkspace is pleased to present Encounters featuring new work by Netherlands- duo Telmo Miel.
Telmo Miel’s work is both surreal and realistically rendered, combining multiple elements into a single composition with extreme detail and fearless approach to the use of color and tone.
In anticipation of Encountered, our interview with Telmo Miel expands on our previous interview with the duo and discusses their latest body of work, most memorable meals, and advice for having a creative partnership.
Do you have a pre-studio or pre-mural routine/ritual? How do you get your butt in gear?
We need deadlines, without them, it’s more difficult to get your butt in gear. If we don’t get deadlines we’ll make them ourselves. For Murals it is not so difficult, you have a trip and within that trip, it needs to be finished. Most of the time you just have about a week. I think it helps we work together because you can kick each other on the butt when stuff needs to be done.
What is the inspiration and themes that were explored during this latest body of work?
‘Encounters’ For this show, we tried to find symbolism in the things we came across or experienced in the last years traveling and creating. It’s a series on the smaller things in life, things that make life worth living. Crossing thresholds, feelings of regret, love, and aversion. Moments captured to illustrate personal encounters or mile-stones in life.
What is your favorite and least favorite part of the creative process?
The last part of painting the detailing is the most fun. The least, is getting started with the under layers of a painting, necessary but not fulfilling. Especially when you see the second layer needs a third.
Is there a particular piece in this exhibition you feel really challenged you? If so, why and what makes you proud of this piece?
The piece with the horse took some thinking ahead, I really want to make the red/orange part pop compared to the rest. But fluor is shit paint because it loses it’s bright color quickly. So to avoid that, I painted those parts bright white and then applied multiple thin layers of the right color in Oil paint. Now it pops like fluor without using it!
If you could make a movie poster for any film, what film would it be?
Telmo: StarWars (universe)
Miel: StarWars (universe)
What is the coolest or most exciting thing to happen to you thus far in life, and is it because of or connected to your work?
Telmo: I got the chance to swim cageless amongst sharks in Hawaii, definitely one of the coolest things I ever did thanks to the Pow!Wow! Hawaii Festival
Miel: Having a son is maybe the most boring but most logical answer. And it’s connected to art in the way that I met my current partner, working for her new gallery at the time.
Your work has taken you around the world – what is one of your most memorable meals?
On a trip to Bueno Aires, they took me to a great steakhouse, it was not only an abundance of meat, but it’s still the best steaks I’ve had so far.
A lot of memorable meals come to mind. But for me, it’s always the boquerones fritos which we had in Burgos, Spain last year. It’s a kind of fried anchovies.
The work expresses a real love for color, what brand do you guys use and what is your favorite color?
Dirty reds/purples and Dirty Salmon tones are our favourites. We use a wide range of paint brands.
For Oil paint, we use Rembrandt, Winsor & Newton & Old Holland. Our favourite spray can is Montana Black.
If you could download any skill into your brain, Matrix-style, what would it be?
Telmo: Teleportation
Miel: Ability to fly
The two of you met in Willem de Kooning Academy and have been collaborating with each other since 2012, how has your artistic relationship developed over the years? What is the best advice you would give about having a creative partner?
It is good to go back and forth on ideas and brainstorm together. With creating new ideas you can inspire and push each other more. It’s like healthy competition in some way where we push each other to learn, be critical, grow and make our latest work even better than before.
Besides that it’s most important to balance that with the right amount of freedom, every painter has his own ideas. So we also try to separate opinions and give space to evolve.
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 1 from 6-9 pm
