Name:
Eva
Hometown:
Madrid, Spain. I have been eleven years in US, five of them in Maui and Oahu.
“Day job”:
Full time UH Undergraduate BFA in Painting
“Night job”:
Student Advisor at Kaplan Test Center, Yoga Instructor, Live performance and mural artist on my free time, and freelance journalist.
“Dream job”:
One that allows me to be devoted full-time to art, including organizing art and cultural events, or artist exchanges.
Latest book/movie/music you’ve consumed:
Latest movie “My name is Khan” a bollywood film without music and a great story about immigration and terrorism issues in America.
Favorite movie of the year:
Avatar
Book:
Honor Killing: How the Infamous “Massie Affair” Transformed Hawaii, by David Stannard
Music:
Hapa, IZ, Jack Johnson, Shakira, Café del Mar, Flamenco and jazz music.
Website or artist you think is worth checking out:
Julie Mehretu http://blog.art21.org/2010/02/05/julie-mehretu-workday/
William Kentridge http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/964
Miguel Barcelo http://www.miquelbarcelo.info/
Artists:
Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Picasso, Jasper Jones, Robert Rauschenberg, Japanese Zen painters and woodblock prints by Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige
Greatest accomplishment yet:
To be able to speak and think in two languages, Spanish and English
Inspirations:
Life, my family and their unconditional love, my boyfriend, traveling and exploring new places, the power of nature, my country, my high school art teacher that made me fall in love with art, the people that told me how difficult a certain goal was, all the artist for having courage, the students that taught me, my grandmother who sat, listened and talked… and so many more things that inspire me.
Details or notes regarding any of your featured works:
These paintings show my latest learning process to develop the content of my work and how to create formally a space where realism is combined with abstraction.
In particular, “Bird’s skeleton” is a commentary on plastic contamination in Midway Islands and how the albatross ingest the plastic and die from it. I use a city plan as a grid. A light tone of grey covers most of the city plan and flows to the space where the realistic bird’s skeleton seat.
Other realistic components, like the white plastic pebbles and the toothbrush are combined with abstract surroundings. Also “Contemplation” is about two women thinking about their role in society today.
Suggestions for fellow artists:
To learn and study as much as possible, and to take rejection as an opportunity to improve.
Artistic weapon(s) of choice:
To be true to myself and to do art that shows my ideas and emotions. I was born and raised in the city of Madrid in Spain. At a very early age I showed interest in traveling and being independent.
When I was 3 years old, I packed my beach toys and sneaked out of my home on the fourth floor of an apartment building, and walked upstairs till a woman found me on the ninth floor. I told her my plan but she did not think it was a good idea.
Also as I child, I showed interest in art, sports and music, but my career as a singer was over by 4th grade when I failed to remember the words at a Christmas show. Consequently, I stayed with art, sports and traveling. I practiced winter sports, such as skiing, which allowed me to travel many places in Europe, South America and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
I became a ski instructor in Colorado and started painting on my free time. After the cold winters in Colorado I decided to visit Hawaii, and soon the islands enchanted me to stay.
Living in Hawaii is a very enriching experience for me. Hawai’i is situated very far away from Spain, twelve-hour difference to be exact.
Being so far from home makes everything new and interesting, specially the colors of the land, the strong presence of nature, and the variety of its peoples and the sound of their language.
I love sports and traveling, and I continue to work towards a BFA in painting at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. I have participated in live performance painting events and several art exhibitions. Art is becoming a way of life and my goal is to learn and practice art to communicate my ideas and emotions.
What role does art play in higher education?
First, one of the roles that art plays itself is to show us our history as human beings. Now, the role in higher education is to teach us who we are through history, and also how we express our understanding of all these intellectual knowledge. I think of art as language, as well as math or physics, and anyone can do it.
How do you deal with creative blocks?
Grrr… I have only experienced short-term blocks, where I lose my motivation because I can’t find a visual solution for an idea. But as my mother says, I am very persistent, and I keep working through it, taking breaks, of course! There is a system of trust that artists developed and we know that “not knowing what is next” is part of it.
Do you believe that artist have a responsibility to tell a story with their work?
If we consider art as a way of self-expression, I think a piece of art has to be meaningful to the artist. When the artwork has an intention behind it, it gets to be the artist’s true voice, which is very powerful and almost the artist’s responsibility with himself/herself. I see we are living at a very interesting time with contemporary art, and we are lucky to be exposed to so many creative communicators that keep enriching our lives with their expressions.
Your idea of a perfect day:
I was an idealist a while back, but I got very frustrated when the perfect days didn’t happen. A perfect day for me is the one that I am embracing being alive. It can be a crazy day in hot summer in the middle of a city, or a fun day in the beach with friends… Imperfect day might be the answer.
How do you unwind when you're not being creative?
I try to find a blue horizon. Yes, the color of the ocean triggers something that makes a connection within me. It reminds me of my childhood when I saw the blue ocean as I was arriving to the coast for summer vacation. My second best friend is a good yoga practice and meditation, changes my focus and clears the mind. Ah! A good meal with good company can do it too.
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