Interview with Paul Ygartua
Biography
Creation and interpretation is Paul’s life. In painting he is at home in all mediums and prodigious. His styles include Realism, Expressionism, Abstract Expressionism, Post Expressionism, Surrealism, Abstract Surrealism and Future Conceptualism, a Revolutionary Technique developed and created by Ygartua. He is an artist whose versatility is reflected in his work.
He was born in 1945 in Bebington, Cheshire (Liverpool)England. After graduating from The Faculty of Arts Industrial Design,Liverpool Art College in 1965 he immigrated to Vancouver, Canada. From then on painting became his soul existence.
Paul Ygartua is a painter and muralist with bases in Canada, France, Spain and England. He has single handedly painted some of the largest public space murals in Canada and the United States. His most famous works are his “Heritage Series” depicting North American Natives (Native Heritage Mural, Chemainus, BC) and other ethnic and cultural groups. He is renowned worldwide for his monumental murals. “The World United ” (100ftx25ft/3,048cmx762cm) being one of his most notorious, commissioned by the United Nations for the United Nations Pavilion at the World Expo 86 Vancouver and his largest to date “Legends of the Millennium”, over 9,000 square foot (24ft x 390ft / 731cm x 11,872cm). The American website ASKART considers it probably the largest mural ever painted by a single artist. His most recent mural in 2013, United in History, commemorating the history of Denny Island and The Heiltsuk Nation, Bella Bella – Pauline Hilistis Waterfall and the Hereditary Chiefs of the Heiltsuk Nation, Bella Bella dubbed him The Mural Miracle Maker.
Statement
THERE IS AN ENERGY, A HIGH WHEN CREATING
When you are influenced by everything around you, whether it is the people in the world, their culture or nature itself–it is emotional and personal. It is these emotions that one tries to express–an inside view of your thoughts , your feelings and your ideas. I sketched, as a child, with my Mother, who was also a painter. When we returned to the Basque Country, Northern Spain, my Father’s birthplace, for the summer vacations, I used to work alongside her on location. I attended the Liverpool School of Art in England, specializing in Gold and Silversmithing. I took life-study but I didn’t take Painting and it wasn’t until I immigrated to Canada that I changed direction and started making a living solely from my art in 1970.
My family and I have always travelled extensively and throughout my life I have been influenced by other cultures. My interest, no doubt, comes from my Basque Heritage, the oldest white race of Europe. This influence has also directed me to the varied subject matter I seek out when living in other countries. In the early 70’s I started painting the North American Native, I found strength and a passion for a race struggling for their identity similar to the Basque People of northern Spain. These influences dominated my work for many years; even today I still feel a need to create with a passion and strength that captivates our mind and soul. I like to stir one’s emotions, I like my patrons to feel this energy that runs through me.
I search for interesting subject matter that has vibrance and movement; then incorporating this emotion into my subject involves the viewer, transporting one to another world. The challenges of different subject matter are always inspiring and fascinating; I enjoy working straight eight to ten hours, intense, with high energy; this becomes a real physical workout on my larger works.
I generally work on four feet x four feet paintings and larger. Murals give you a vast expanse, the largest canvas you can ever hope to get, expanding your perimeters and challenging yourself to the highest limits
When working freehand with no scale or projector, you must imagine the image, see it in your mind’s eye and envision the painting mural finished. It is an addiction and I can’t wait to start the next painting. It is exciting to challenge oneself with each work, always searching within, this opens new doors, new horizons–it never ends.
It is a passion I feel and it is this emotion that I try to portray in all my works.
Could you please introduce yourself and tell us how you started in the arts? And your first experience in art making?
I am a free spirited adventurer who approaches my art in the same way, every painting is an experiment and an adventure. As such, I have no particular style. I work with a style until I develop it as far as I can go, then I change and move on to another idea--always keeping my hand in and never losing any of the positive styles that I have had, going back sometimes years later, is an opportunity to take the style further to a finality.
I sketched, as a child, with my Mother, who was also a painter. When we returned to the Basque Country, Northern Spain, my Father’s birthplace, for the summer vacations, I used to work alongside her on location.
How do you describe yourself and your artwork?
Eclectic and spontaneous--when working with abstracts, the idea grows, sometimes changes, sometimes free flowing, it is a continual movement from beginning to end.
My Philosophy - The next painting will be the best. It has been an ongoing struggle for perfection - being able to break through mental and physical barriers, pushing the envelope to realizing and developing that vision until ultimately a style is born. Then taking that style and working it until it cannot be developed further and only then moving on to adapt this to new ideas, taking you on a journey of versatility and determination to the next painting. I am always looking to improve on each work so as to fine tune my coordination between body, mind and spirit with emphasis on reaching the point whereby my hands almost are moving without consciously guiding them. Speed is an integral part of the process as it forces one to not dwell on exactitude rather it forces a continuous flow of inspiration and passion.
My concept of painting is the journey of struggle and determination for perfection in every aspect of my work - from design and composition to colour and form. A journey that never ends. Each style fits into a plan, like a road map to the future and sometimes the direction is not always forward, but like a continuous ebb and flow of juices which moves one, sometimes forwards and sometimes backwards but always towards a positive direction.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
My inspiration is within. I only have to tap into it. As Picasso said 10 percent inspiration and 90% perspiration. I paint 8 hours a day just about every day of the week except when travelling from A to B when working with international galleries and international exhibitions.
What emotions do you hope the viewers experience when looking at your art?
PLEASURE -- some works indulge the viewer whereby he/she is transported to another world, transmitting excitement and inner pleasure, evoking curiosity and uncertainty, allowing your mind to drift --taking one to different levels of your own imagination. Each style evokes a different reaction and a different emotion.
When do you know when your artwork is finished?
It is very tricky, you can always do a little more, it is very easy to overwork a piece. It depends on the style, realism is never finished, you can always go back. With impressionism and abstracts there is a point when composition, and the balance of colour come together and at that moment you have to stop.
What has been the most exciting moment in your art career so far?
I think the most exciting moment was creating single handedly the largest mural in the world. The achievement of a mammoth project such as murals is always a challenge and once completed you do reach a level of euphoria. The most recent mural UNITED IN OUR HISTORY, focusing on the Heiltsuk Nation of 9,000 years(Bella,Bella) Canada. was an honour and a privilege to be the chosen muralist for this very important historical dedication to our FIRST PEOPLE OF CANADA.
How long does it take to produce one work?
Everything depends on the style, could be an hour, or ten hours or two days or a mural several days. After starting a painting it is a race to the finish. It is a thrill from beginning to end.
What exciting projects are you working on now?
Due to COVID19 I have been busy since last March working on many new projects. The first one was a special COVID show and this took place at the Ukama Gallery, here in Vancouver. I ventured out into the unknown, as my subject matter was the virus, I started to go down many new paths, fantasy, surrealism, imagining myself as the virus.
It got more and more involved, until the end I was visiting other important cities in the world but as the virus itself. Then with George Floyd’s death I started another new series TRIBUTES and once again, it started with George, but, then I got involved with the artists and their work and tributes to some of my favourite geniuses in the art world. These are now up on my website, wall90.com, but will also be catalogued and printed.
I have also returned to another fascinating medium which I created in the 80’s but left for many years due to the toxic paint, but now they have water based acrylics so I am now working on special projects in this medium--description of this medium below. Looking at projects now and up to the New Year will include my celestialism--my adaptation of surrealism, delving into the phenomenon of the fifth dimension.
FUTURE CONCEPTUALISM
Future Conceptualism is a revolutionary technique developed by Paul Ygartua. It is a technique of reverse painting on transparent plexiglass, similar to Cloisonne Enamelling. This was an ancient method of the Chinese (whose history can date back to over 500 years) whereby a single line is etched out depicting the subject matter. Then each area painted separately, creating a collage of color in a mosaic effect.
This is a complex technique, conveying a powerful presence. A mixed media mosaic cubistic style inlaid with gold or silver, creating the design and separating the colours. It is a distortion of the subject matter, an original abstract with a sculptural effect. The element of lucidity is created through color separation combining fluorescent metallics, enamels and acrylics. This medium I developed in 1986 and continued developing this style till the early 90’s. It is just recently that I have re-entered the challenge of working with this extraordinary medium which allows me to experiment more with my design concepts creating an ultra modern effect. All Future Conceptualism paintings, reverse painted on plexiglass with museum quality framed (silverleaf from Spain, Italy etc) All native paintings here are on exhibit at Eagle Spirit Gallery and abstract, modern work at Ukama Gallery --wall90.com
Do you have any upcoming events or exhibitions?
Throughout my life I have had the opportunity to participate several times a year in international exhibitions and gallery exhibitions in London, Paris, Vancouver, Barcelona many parts of the world including Hawaii, South America, Mexico, Europe. I never stop, it is exciting and always an adventure. Upcoming shows -- Gagliardi Gallery, London, La Galerie d’Art Les Cercles, Paris, Eagle Spirit Gallery, Ukama Gallery, Vancouver, Canada.
Where do you see your art going in five years?
I look forward to the opportunity of creating mammoth projects for Museums around the world.
I like to be challenged and my desire to be exhibiting at the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, birthplace of my Father(Gorliz,Vizcaya) would be a dream come true. I would like to create another Guernica --a mural dedicated to the Basque Civil War, one that would remain in permanent collection at the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum.
Website: https://www.ygartuaoriginals.com https://www.ygartua.com
