An Enjoyable Conversation with Javier Ortas

“A holiday in some village,” Watercolor. Watercolor. 39" x 55"

Javier Ortas is an Spanish artist. His work has been exhibited internationally in art spaces such as Gallery Espacio 36, Le Manoir de Villedoin Art Gallery, Galería Herraiz, and many more. Javier has won many prestigious art awards for his work. I got to ask him about what keeps him interested in art, what is the process like when he puts what comes to mind to canvas and how mathematics influences his artwork. It was an honor and pleasure to interview him.

UZOMAH: How did being an artist become something meaningful for you to pursue as a career?

JAVIER: At first, I had an unquietness that I could not express. Little by little, by painting, I was freeing myself and happily, I got what I was looking for as an artist. Painting gives me immense satisfaction and is part of me. I never felt like I should be an artist; I knew I already was. Later, with time and a lot of work, I was observing good results in a professional way.

U: What do you want others to know about your artistic style that they might not get from looking at one of your pieces of art?

J: I like others to know that I have created my works just with my imagination, without using a model or photographs. I don’t transform what I see, but rather I create scenes, landscapes, characters that neither exist nor have existed. Pure invention is the basis of the art that I like and develop.

“The roundabout,” Watercolor. 39" x 55"

U: What keeps you interested in making art?

J: Creating art is a necessity for me, not an intention. There are always the desire and the drive to do so. I feel art is an essential form of expression to develop myself and be able to communicate with others. I am not very outgoing and speak little, so I support myself in my artistic work to get open to the environment that surrounds me.

It's not easy when I have to let a day go by without working at the easel with the paintbrushes.

“Orchestral Musicians,” Watercolor. 55" x 39"

U: What views did you have about the art world when you first started that have changed?

J: When I started, I knew almost nothing about the art world because I lived far away from it, with hardly any contact. Now I am part of it, and I have much greater knowledge. There is a small part of this world that I like and another that does not convince me. I like to contact and work with other art-sensitive people. On the other hand, I believe that fine artists are being relegated to the background in today’s society and that’s why it is essential that artistic work be done in a very efficient way.

U: What is your process like getting what you see visually in your mind to canvas?

J: It's a direct and intuitive process. Ideas, feelings, memories, etc., flow easily and I transform them into art through a personal language that I've been creating and that allows me to do it in a very natural way.

Sitting next to the blank support, I usually imagine and sketch a premeditated idea or something impulsive that I feel like. The important thing is to create. Then I take the original sketch to the final support, considering that the sketch is the most authentic artistic expression that exists.

“No-hands”, Watercolor. 55" x 39"

U: How much influence does the concept of mathematics have on your art?

J: I think that, by the fact of painting only with my imagination, all my personal characteristics are involved in my art and of course my intellectual capacities, such as my concepts of mathematics, geometry, spatial vision, etc.

I was a gifted child with mathematical talent, and I think that this ability is reflected in my artistic work today. Mathematics is not a purpose and I do not use it consciously. It’s just a personal feature. It helps me in creating spaces and distances, visualize and order in an intuitive way.

“Roller coaster,” Watercolor. 55" x 39"

U: How do you think the art world is adjusting to the change from in-person exhibits to virtual art exhibits?

J: Internet art diffusion is very important today, but sometimes it distorts the artistic truth since the physical encounter between the public and the work is essential. They must complement each other. People should not completely lose the experience of being physically in front of art.

“Potter working,” Watercolor. 39" x 55"

U: What have you found to be the greatest joy in creating art?

J: The feeling of achieving what gives meaning to my existence. The greatest joy is contemplating what I have created with conviction and security in what I do.

As an artist, in my work, I look for a story to tell, harmony, beauty, experimentation, expression, something that makes each work special and unique. Diversity inspires me. All of this, taken together, motivates me as a creator and constitutes in itself that satisfaction.

For more information about Javier’s art please visit his site. Please follow Javier on Twitter, Instagram, and check out his Facebook.