10 Questions with Marqués de Jadraque

Marqués de Jadraque is the pseudonym of Miguel A. Garcia, born in Palencia, Spain, a student at the Art School of Palencia. In 1981, He Moved to Barcelona to continue his studies in the Free School of the Mediterranean. While continuing his formal studies, he started painting portraits of important figures and families in Europe, including two currently hanging in the Vatican. In 1986, Marqués de Jadraque Moved to Los Angeles, California, had numerous gallery exhibitions in Mexico, California, and Hong Kong. He moved later in 2005 to Brooklyn, New York, and started sharing his time between LA and NY to move finally in 2018 to London, where he recently inaugurated his new studio. Marqués de Jadraque is a world citizen, he lives and works between London, New York, and Spain.

www.marquesdejadraque.com

ARTIST STATEMENT

Since Miguel was a child, he has been interested in Figure, Portrait, Movement, and light. Miguel is interested in all the materials that he can adapt to his paintings: Oil, Charcoal, pastel, cement, ink, acrylic, spray paint, etc. He adapts it to his paintings, depending on the series he paints.

His inspiration comes from living day to day, from his travels, from contact with people, from what he reads, from what he sees in other artists, from the conversations he has with friends, from the cinema. To sum it up, somehow...

Right now, Miguel is interested in figurative abstraction, inspired by this spring and the colors of nature.

Tendedero, Oil and Charcoal on Canvas, 132x162cm, 2019 Marqués de Jadraque©

INTERVIEW

In your youth, when did you realize that you were going to become an artist?

I don't know. As a child, I used to draw, like most children.

My math teacher saw that I had a facility and spent time drawing without paying much attention to his classes. He talked to my parents, and he spoke with the art school teacher in my city (Palencia, Spain) to let me enter the Art School. I was 11 years old, it was not possible to study in an art school before the age of 14, but they made an exception.

Can you tell our readers what experience of your life is reflected in your works of art?

My experience is reflected in my work in different ways. From different ways of seeing life, having lived in other cities, different backgrounds, years, and needs, I think that is why my work is varied.

Tendedero #11, Acrylic, pastel and oil on Canvas, 132x162cm, 2020 Marqués de Jadraque©

Tendedero #20, Acrylic, pastel and oil on Canvas, 132x162cm, 2020 Marqués de Jadraque©

We are curious to hear about your relationship with day to day objects and their impact on how you create your art...

My relationship with everyday objects is simple. They are there every day. For whatever reason, a day comes that interests me, that catches my attention, that I obsess over, and include it in my work until I lose interest. After a while back and go and come back again and so on.

Do you have a role model that you've drawn inspiration from when working as a painting artist? Tell us more about your source of inspiration…

My role models have been what my teachers marked me while I was in school—visits to museums, classics, great portraitists. Then I discovered no academic painters, The impressionists, expressionists, late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Etc. Abstract art in recent years and contemporary art, different materials. I don't have a role; everything interests me, as long as it's good.

Tendedero #21 Oil on Canvas 132x162cm, 2019, Marqués de Jadraque©

What aspect of your work do you pay particular attention to?

Space, composition on the canvas, the line, the brushstroke, the color, the spontaneity, the errors... texture everything.

Tell us about the colors on your palette and anything new you have been experimenting with.

The order of the colors in my palette, generally from the right, is white, ocher, yellow, orange, red, earth, blue, green, and black, as for the traditional palette.

I usually buy colors on sale, colors that I would never buy, rare colors, experiment, industrial materials, and lately, I am practicing spray painting. I am also returning to natural pigments mixed with egg. Also, on some occasions, I have added cement and paper for the texture.

Untitled, 119cmX91cm, Spray Paint, acrylic, pastel and oil on canvas, 2020 Marqués de Jadraque©

Is there a piece you consider a "breakthrough" in your career?

No. I always think the last thing I'm doing is the best until I get over it.

I admit that sometimes I look at my drawings from years ago, and I see a freshness that I don't have now. But that will happen to me in a few years when I see what I'm doing right now.

There are many paintings on the market these days; how do you differentiate yours from the rest? What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own?

I agree with many artists in the market, and today we have information on artists in any corner of the world and very good ones.

What makes my work unique? It's because I did it, it's me, it's that simple. Each artist is unique.

Warwick Avenue, 104x79cm Acrylic, charcoal and pastel on canvas 2019 Marqués de Jadraque©

What do you believe is a key element in creating a good painting piece?

Know the materials, know how to handle the materials, technique, and passion with intelligence and emotion.

What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future?

I am working on a work that I consider abstract, based on spoons, I cut pieces of cardboard, I use it as a template, and the colors are influenced by nature. My plan for the near future is to fix a little house in my city, set up my studio, and spend time painting.

Can I visit your studio?

Of course, I am delighted. Welcome. Just tell me when you would like to visit to make sure I'm in town.

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