Interview with Octavio

Quintanilla

What mood do you usually find yourself in when creating?

It depends. Usually in a mood full of love for what I am about to do. I guess I’ve never painted while angry, or sad—never created anything this way. Although, these emotions often are part of the emotional autobiography of the work.

What does your creative process look like?

It’s a process that requires being in process about 90% of the time. If you were to visit my studio, you’ll see notebooks, canvases of all sizes ready to be filled with mark-making, paint, and words. And having these components ready is part of the creative process. However, I do try to dedicate some time to the creative act every day, but it doesn’t mean that I am committed to finishing anything in one day. As a matter of fact, most of my visual work takes days, sometimes weeks or months. And my writing—that can take years. When you are always invested in the creative act, there is no rush to finish anything.

What art movement are you most drawn to or take inspiration from?

I dig all sorts of art movements. But to name a few I really like De Stijl, Action Painting, Assemblage, and anything avant-garde, really.

For your work titled “Memoria Invisible 32”, how did you go about selecting your color palette?

For this Frontexto, the drawings came first, and so, in order to create a sense of movement, I decided to add color, in this case, two complementary colors—blue and orange. These colors got a bit diluted since I added a tad of water in the mixing. I’m usually thinking about, and applying, color theory in my work, which means, I also subvert it.