Hi Ernest, it’s a real pleasure to have you here!Could you tell us about what your early pre-painter years were like? Was there something in particular that made you want to become a painter?

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I studied architecture and worked as an architect for a few years, but I always felt something was missing. There wasn’t a specific moment that pushed me to dedicate myself exclusively to painting, but rather a gradual awareness.In fact, I began drawing systematically by chance: a friend gave me a box of charcoals. I became interested and, little by little, I understood that painting gave me the right language to express myself.

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What is your first memory of being creative?

 

As a child I loved drawing, but also playing football! I used to paint horses, and curiously, human heads—just as I do now. I remember using very bright colors, especially when working with wax crayons. Even today, I can still see a lot of expressive power in those early drawings.Can you walk us through your creative process?It all begins with music. Listening to music is what inspires me the most. Then comes drawing, almost always in charcoal. From there, I work quickly and intuitively with acrylics. I let the piece evolve on its own, guided less by a rational plan and more by the atmosphere or mood I want to convey.I pay special attention to the features and gestures, because it’s in the small details where I find what I want to express.

 

How would you describe your style of art?

 

Expressionist and figurative. Some critics have described it as post-Cubist, which doesn’t bother me. Picasso is a great inspiration to me, but my work explores the unseen dimensions of the human being and moves within that unknown space between fragility and intensity. I focus on other themes—the emotions and feelings reflected primarily in the face. Still, formally, Picasso always interested me, and continues to do so.What are some of your early inspirations and have those changed over the years?At the beginning, I was deeply impacted by Picasso, Egon Schiele, Modigliani, and Francis Bacon. Over time, I’ve found a more personal language, less dependent on references, and perhaps more oriented toward exploring my own dialogue with emotion and vulnerability.

 

How does your observational painting process influence your color choices? How faithfully do you respond to the colors you’re looking at?

 

Observation is only a starting point—and often not even that. I don’t paint what I see, I paint what I feel or what’s in my mind. As I said before, I let the work take its own course. Everything flows from within. Sometimes it’s about capturing the sensations, concerns, or intuitions I have.Colors are chosen and transformed according to the emotions and feelings the painting demands. In my work, the backgrounds, often neutral, gain real importance. Choosing the right tone is essential to creating the atmosphere the piece needs.What role does mood or emotion play in your color decisions?Since I try to uncover that invisible world of the human being, emotions—in all their wide range—are decisive. Anger, grief, sadness, or defiance choose the palette. Colors, lines, and strokes become a way of defining them physically on the paper.

 

What colors do you put on your palette these days?

 

Of course, heat or cold influences the colors I choose, but also my mood. Right now, I’m using mainly titanium white, mars black, burnt sienna, raw umber, yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, and cadmium red. From them, infinite variations emerge that allow me to nuance the expressions I want to capture.

 

What does art mean to you?

 

Art, for me, is both a mirror and a refuge. It’s the place where truth—often uncomfortable—finds its space. Through art you can communicate emotions or lived situations that cannot be expressed in any other way. Painting is also a form of self-investigation. It works like doors that open into a world to be discovered, almost always unexpectedly.Has there been some idea or practice in painting that you once strongly believed in that you’ve changed your mind about?Yes. I used to think painting would help me communicate with others, but now I believe it helps me more to communicate with myself.Over time, I’ve also realized that in such a media-driven society, gaining visibility is very important—for example, through social networks. The comments I receive make the act of painting less solitary. This is something new I hadn’t expected.

 

What is a small bit of advice you could give new artists starting in the industry?

 

They should find satisfaction in what they do, and not paint to please others, but rather paint what unsettles them, what moves them, what keeps them awake at night. And that, they must discover.Authenticity is precisely what connects, and it must come from self-knowledge. Painting should be a necessity, not a job in the sense of obligation or routine.

 

What projects do you have coming up?

 

I always move within a diversity of possibilities. Right now, I’ve applied to a competition in San Diego (USA), and I’ve also submitted a project to the City Council of Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona) for a large-scale mural on the side wall of a building. I’m in talks with a gallerist for an exhibition in the fall. And of course, I maintain relationships with international art magazines, where I publish my work regularly.

 

What invaluable art business lesson did you learn in the past year that took your career to the next level?

 

Learning to balance my time between the studio and promotion has been key. Being open to a diversity of creative options and opportunities—murals, exhibitions, publications, competitions, fairs, participating in open studio activities, etc. And, of course, keeping a regular presence on social media.

 

What personality trait do you have that has been most helpful in your art career?

 

I think it’s a combination of traits. First, determination. In my case, I was set on exploring this path and leaving architecture behind. For that, it was essential to have a degree of passion, enthusiasm, hope, or faith. Then, I learned to enjoy what I do and to carve out my own path using all the communicative resources our society offers today. Lastly, it’s necessary to have self-confidence and to learn patience, since unfortunately, feelings of frustration often appear.

 

What is your current most important career goal?

What steps are you taking to attain it?

 

To continue working toward new opportunities in the art market. This means consolidating my presence in my own territory while also opening myself up to new international perspectives.The steps I’m taking are, first, continuing to paint every day and produce new work. Participating in online platforms and continuing to promote my pieces, entering national and international competitions, establishing contacts with specialized magazines, opening my studio doors to new visitors. In short, any action directed toward achieving my goals.

 

What famous artist from history would you like to spend a day with?

 

Egon Schiele. Although, more than spending the whole day, I’d love to have a coffee with him, visit his studio, and see him draw live. I love the expressiveness and firmness of his line, and at the same time his deep sensitivity. I think his sense of beauty is very contemporary. His intensity and vulnerability resonate deeply with me.

 

What is your favorite quote?

 

“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” — Banksy.

 

A hashtag to describe yourself?

 

#RestlessExpression

 

What place in the world do you call Home?

 

Barcelona.

 

The word of the end?

 

Perseverance.