One of the most noticeable characteristics or qualities of my works in general is the sense of rhythm in my images, which ripple with repetitive, dancing lines and create a special musicality, as if the images themselves were alive, or as if they were whirling dervishes of Sufism. The “waves” take the viewer to explore every hidden corner of my artworks, and guide them to discover different emotions and sensations within themselves.
Music can transport us back in time or take us to a dreamed future. It awakens memories and elevates us to finer thoughts. Music unifies us with nature and the cosmos, with others and with ourselves. Paintings do the same but in a different way. Music is more subtle whereas visual art is more direct.
While living in New York from 2018 to 2019, I began to create a series of small-scale paintings with pastel and acrylic on canvas, called Musical Interpretation. The series was inspired by listening to the same composition all day—Passacaille d'Armide by Jean-Baptiste Lully, founder of French opera in the 17th Century.
Everything is vibration, energy and light. They make up the cosmos, nature and all living things, down to the smallest particle. Likewise, art has its own vibration, energy, light, and its own musical tone. In Gurdjieff’s theory, this is known as the Law of Octaves, where each being, from the smallest (such as bacteria) to the largest (such as the universe) has a certain musical octave.
I find this concept highly relevant, and hence the connection between my art and music. I always paint with music on. Rhythms help me better convey ideas which come in waves. In a sense, my oeuvre can be seen as a visualized musical composition, complete with intro, interlude, instrumental solos, among other components.
Among the defining features of my work are repeated lines, overlapping images and colors, and transparencies. I usually start with lighter and more luminous colors, such as yellow, baby blue, and orange. I then put layers upon layers of paint to create a shading effect, working from the center to the edges. This is how I usually approach most of my work.
When I create my images, I rely on the surrealist technique, which is to begin without a sketch nor an end in mind. From dot to line, from line to shape, the shapes initially formed and the colors chosen gradually show me the way to the end result.