A while ago I received a commission, we talked about the size, the color, the motive. It was for a very special celebration in life.

1. I think the ideas should reflect the character. Then I search for images that can depict this. “A birdman, who moves in search of freedom, embraces life Thanks to the technology it is possible. Bird: Freedom. Moon: Passage of time House: A warm, safe place Boat. Transport and takes us the adventure of life.”

2. I make sketches in pencil, make use of different ideas, make proofs of different ideas, then I make the composition.

3. The chosen concept I put on canvas and start painting.

4. The realization is a quest, a search for balance. I try, remove, re-create, decide and gradually there are places where I do not work because I think they are good. For me it is a dialogue with the painting: – The size of the figures, – The color rhythm, for example, the use here of orange, – Structures, how and where, – Create depth in the image, which elements in the foreground and which elements at background.

5. Deciding when the painting is finished I always find difficult. Usually I do not see the work some days, and if I see it again the decision is intuitive. I think the title at the end and I hope that this adds anything to work. In this commission plays air a special meaning, hence the title ”Beating air”.

Photos: Ángeles Nieto, Paul Vossen