{"id":1273,"date":"2021-01-11T22:10:29","date_gmt":"2021-01-11T22:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajmorales.com\/?p=1273"},"modified":"2021-01-13T23:13:14","modified_gmt":"2021-01-13T23:13:14","slug":"destig-entrevista-a-alex-morales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajmorales.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/11\/destig-entrevista-a-alex-morales\/","title":{"rendered":"Destig – Interview with Alex Morales"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tell us about your background.<\/strong>
\nIncentivized by my parents, I started drawing from a very young age. Just at 3 years old living in Buenos Aires (Argentina), my mother would write letters to my grandparents who lived in Uruguay and, since I did not know how to write, at the end of her letters, there was always a drawing from me. It was my way of greeting my dear grandparents. I don’t know why I started drawing at such a young age, what inspired or\u00a0motivated me. But I always had my crayons and sheet of paper to draw my \u00abdoodles\u00bb… The years went by and, in elementary school, I stood out amongst my classmates when it was about drawing and the same thing happened in my teenage years, I was always drawing. It was my favorite pastime. At the age of 14,\u00a0I started studying drawing and painting in my beloved departmental museum of fine arts in the city of San Jos\u00e9 de Mayo, Uruguay, and it was there that I opened the books and discovered the great masters! Caravaggio, Pieter Bruegel, Hieronymus Bosch the (Bosco) among many other \u00abMaster Painters\u201d that I could not name all because the list is very long.\u00a0My astonishment was unbelievable. The impact it had on me was overflowing and I fell in love with those\u00a0geniuses at first sight. The beauty of their works, the talent, the immense dedication of these artists, and their so-intense and exciting lives were the things that inspired me for the rest of my life… and I said to myself, I want to do that!!! \u00abI WANT TO REMAIN IN THE BOOKS AND INSPIRE FUTURE GENERATIONS.\u201d\u00a0Well, this is how it all started, and to this day, it has been my goal. Learning, experimentation, and ongoing practice have been my way, and exceeding myself, day by day, has been my motivation. I still have a lot to learn, and a lot to give. It is only up to me to achieve it.<\/p>\n

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Tell us about your work.<\/strong>
\nMy work has been art and the life I have lived. So if I talk about my work, it is like talking about myself.\u00a0I have lived \u00abBy and For art.\u00bb\u00a0First, learning for many years the secrets of the craft of drawing and painting, day by day I continue to learn, and then following in a quest to find a way to express myself, and plastic arts have been my tool.\u00a0The hope of motivating and leaving a legacy that inspires someone to fall in love with art as it happened to me when I was very young has become an \u00abobsession\u00bb in my life.\u00a0I have tried to learn and learn… and I always wonder whether I have\u00a0really learned something.\u00a0I think so… but I don’t really know\u00a0anything! It is so hard to talk about art that I sometimes wonder, what is art? I have no doubt that talking about art is more complex than any other topic. In art, there are no limits of any kind. For me it is the\u00a0absolute form of \u00abfreedom of expression\u00bb.<\/p>\n

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\u200bAt the age of 50, I am at a stage of my life where \u00abI believe\u00bb… that I found my path to show something different and this is what I have been working on for over ten years. At times whirlwinds of ideas, concepts, and images that I have in my mind overwhelm, disturb, and despair me, and there\u00a0are times when they fill me with satisfaction, pleasure, and ecstasy. Only the idea of creating and my faith in the project boost me day by day to continue my work. My goal is very ambitious and therefore very complex. But I will not give up until I finish creating a new artistic movement in which I fervently believe and which I have called \u00abHYPERBOLIC IRREALISM.\u00bb I have not yet completed my writings because I am not a good writer, and sometimes it is very difficult and complex for me to express in words the concepts of what I am working on. But it is only a matter of time to come up with a coherent and understan-dable explanation of my work. I hope that in the near future it will have many followers….\u00a0My painting ABUNDANCE is the best illustration of my new artistic movement. But… in addition to my project, like every artist, I also have to make a living. Therefore my art is divided in three great paths which go side by side, in parallel and, in the end, merge into one. One of them is my most visceral art… what I feel and what I want to express and communicate, the \u00abmessage\u00bb, my purest art, spiritually and intellectually speaking, the creation to \u00abTELL\u00bb.<\/p>\n

The other path is the commercial art. So there are times when I decide to create works of art which do not have any specific message, but I try to make them visually pleasant to the viewer and mobilize them somehow. But I always try to make them well created plastically.<\/p>\n

And finally, commissions or requests from my clients, wherein my task is to please the person who hires me to perform the work, provided that I have the freedom to express myself freely without deviating from the task.<\/p>\n

In the end…. all my work, no matter which paths that I take, decant in the way I express myself.\u00a0I am \u201cMY Work\u201d and I am a very grateful man with life because I live from what I love doing, no matter how difficult and painful an artist’s life can be.\u00a0I was born for this and I hope to achieve my goal. Otherwise I’ll die happy in the attempt.
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\nWhat are your sources of inspiration?<\/strong>
\nWhat inspires me is an idea that comes to my mind followed by an image almost at the same time, or an image comes first and then inspires an idea. Everything happens in an instant; that idea flutters inside me until I shape it, and it can occur absolutely for any reason. I have no particular theme, no stereotype of what inspires me; from the wind blow on the leaves of a tree, to a homeless man sleeping in the street…. Everything can inspire me, I am a poly-thematic artist. It is the very need to create, it is something that comes up within me as a wonderful magic and takes me to another emotional state while I am working, that makes me feel infinitely free. Nothing is on my mind at that moment aside from what I am doing. My world changes in seconds. I forget everything and I completely focus on my task. I begin a real journey which has thousands of different paths. The course I take begins with that original idea or concept, and immediately, without thinking, my\u00a0intellect decides what technique I will use. Then when I decide which path I will take, I put everything into practice and start working, knowing how I want it and how I should do it in my own judgement.\u00a0Nothing comes up randomly. I am very methodical and analytical in the way I act, but with a wonderful freedom which allows me to change path any time and, without thinking, I release my creativity and let my emotions and my ideas take me to new ways.
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\u200b\u200bTell us about your achievements?<\/strong>
\nAchievement is a very personal thing. It is the reward. It is the satisfaction of feeling that it was worth the work and the effort dedicated to successfully finish what I set out to do.\u00a0This is something I assess with my self-criticism, at the end of each job, and all things considered, I always find something to improve. \u200bEvery day I learn or discover something new, however insignificant. My achievements are something completely different from the \u201crecognition\u201d that other\u00a0people or institutions may receive, achievements which also fill me with satisfaction and pride, such as having received the prestigious O-1 visa granted by the United States Government for being an artist with extra-ordinary abilities. In 2009, I was chosen as one of the 12 participating artists selected from 18,000 applicants, from the cities of New York, Los Angeles and Miami to compete on the reality TV show WORK OF GENIUS, in search of the most talented artist. I have had the honor of having painted the portraits of great personalities of the culture of my country and seeing my paintings acquired by the municipal government, and exhibited in my hometown at the Public Library and the Museum.\u00a0I recently participated in the XII BIENAL OF FLORENCE representing URUGUAY as the only participating Uruguayan artist. I was also selected to exhibit at the Contemporary Art Fair in Carousel du Louvre, Paris.<\/p>\n

What are you passionate about?<\/strong>
\nWhat I am passionate about is the enjoyment I feel when creating. It is the whole process of creation that fills me with pleasure and I fully enjoy it.<\/p>\n

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Share with us the back-story of some of your projects?<\/strong>
\nI will tell you the story of some of the most challenging and physically tough work I ever had to do. A few years ago, an architect from New York contacted me telling me that she had a client who was looking for a sculptor artist to work on a new project. When she told me about it, I first wondered if I was willing to sculpt in a big old Oak tree that her client had on his property. This old tree was already dead, it had dried up. But instead of uprooting it, the owner decided to look for an artist who could shape a sculpture out of it, to further beautify his garden. So we arranged a meeting, when I got to the location, I was amazed by the tree.\u00a0It was a very large and thick Oak tree; I could not wrap my arms around it for how big it was. I spoke to the owner and he told me what his idea was. Within a few minutes, I realized what he had in mind was not feasible because of the proportions. Then he asked me to think about a new project. Immediately after that meeting, I asked for permission to tour his property and take a look at the gardens. During my tour, I realized that he was a lover of art and oriental culture. There were many stone sculptures from Japan, water fountains with beautiful colorful fishes and countless exotic plants. Then the image of a Samurai came to my mind.<\/p>\n

\u200bI looked at the tree and in my mind I could picture it finished. When I was done with my walk around the property, I went home and started designing what I had in mind. I drew the metamorphosis of a winged\u00a0Samurai. The image began from below with the giant legs of a lion, which was transforming into a falcon\u00a0and then melted into the skirt and the sphinx of the winged warrior. The warrior had one hand on his sword and the other in his heart facing the front of his house with an earnest and penetrating look.\u00a0\u00abTHE GUARDIAN ANGEL\u201d, property protector.\u00a0The next day, we met again with the client to show him the drawings of the project and he was fascinated. He accepted my proposal and we signed the contract.\u00a0A week later, I started the work, with axes, chainsaws, chisels, and hammers.<\/p>\n

\u200bHonestly, I had never worked in such circumstances before, making a sculpture outdoors, and at my client’s house. It was much more complicated than I expected. I had to adapt almost immediately to many factors that limited me and complicated my task. Things happened that I had not\u00a0thought about before, and the completion of the work\u00a0\u200bwas very difficult. First I was not used to working with a fixed work schedule, let alone having to travel two hours back and forth to my house every day. It was overwhelming. The shinning sun all day above my head, the intense heat, the rain which sometimes would not let me work for days and when the wood\u00a0 got wet it complicated things even more. Gardeners who worked on site and the people who walked by during the day, in and out of the house, were a real distraction.\u00a0\u200bI also heard the barking of two large guard dogs that were very close to me during my working hours. And the curious people, who spoke to me very often, would affect my concentration. I cut a hand with a chisel, which made it impossible for me to work for a few days. But despite all the inconvenience, I greatly enjoyed working on this project. It was an incredible experience, and at last, I successfully completed it within the anticipated time frame of 45 working days.<\/p>\n

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Tell us about your upcoming projects?<\/strong>
\nMy recent projects were: The XII Florence Biennale from in October. In\u00a0December\u00a0I participated in an international exhibition in Prague, in collaboration\u00a0with \u00abMusa International\u00bb.\u00a0In February I will have my second solo exhibition at The Hoboken Historical Museum, NJ, United States. And in October 2020, I will exhibit at The Carousel du Louvre in Paris, France.<\/p>\n

Tell us about where you are based.<\/strong>
\nAfter living a few years in New York, I moved to the city of Woodbridge, in New Jersey. My property is located in a very quiet and less cluttered area, remote from the city and the deafening noise of the big apple. I have a beautiful and modest house, spacious enough for my needs, surrounded by oak trees, maple trees, and other species, in addition to my plants and flowers. My house is very peculiar and artistic, as I am myself, and I have worked on completely remodeling it for six years, trying to create a very intimate and pleasant place. It is a very comfortable, quiet and warm place, which I love and enjoy to the fullest. My studio is located inside the house, a place that I use for\u00a0\u200bpainting, drawing, reading and studying. The workshop is where the garage used to be. There, I have all my tools and I work comfortably in different disciplines. I can weld, work in carpentry,\u00a0elaborate my sculptures and crafts, and anything that is more rustic and has to do with tools. Between my studio and the workshop, I spend most of the day working on my art. Outside the house, I also enjoy many activities, such as chopping wood for my fireplace on cold winter days or cooking exquisite meats like the good Uruguayan that I am, on the grill that I built one summer with my father.
\n\u200bI also enjoy visits from friends and family. Where I live has a great influence on my artistic career as it has given me the\u00a0opportunity to focus and dedicate myself in a complete way to my art, having the right space and the indispensable tranquility to do so. In that sense, the place where I am influences my work in a very positive way and in addition, I am very close to the artistic world that moves in New York and the entire metropolitan area, which provides many opportunities.<\/p>\n

How do you feel about art’s role?
\n\u200b<\/strong>Perhaps this is a compromising question to answer because, if for any reason, I am wrong, my opinion could generate great controversy.\u00a0Generally speaking, I can say that\u00a0wonderful things are happening in today’s art world, thanks to\u00a0\u00abglobalization\u00bb and technological\u00a0advances throughout the art industry. Due to the dizzying growth of communications we are \u00abalmost all connected\u00bb creating more opportunities for everyone, but we still have some problems to solve. Speaking of painting for example, one of the problems that I can see is the poorly applied technology, used with the intention of improving the work of art, or facilitating the work of the artist. For example, the using of projectors to reproduce images on the surface that the artist wants to work on, whether it is a wall to paint a mural, or even on a canvas to paint a painting. It is a big mistake, and I would say that even dishonest in \u00absome cases\u00bb since, by doing so, the artist is copying and\u00a0avoiding a very difficult and beautiful task that is the completion of the actual drawing. Many artists choose to do this with the excuse of \u00abtime\u00bb and project the image to then iterate it and do the work faster, but for me this is not art. If the painter does not have the knowledge or ability to do something, then they should not do it until they have learned. Drawing is the basis of painting and is the first thing that should be learned. Years of learning and constant practice are indispensable to have the necessary knowledge and skill. Drawing is one of the most important, essential, and purest forms of the visual and plastic arts, indispensable to any painter.<\/p>\n

\u200bThe \u00abskeleton\u00bb is a strong and solid structure that allows us to stand upright, to be able to sustain ourselves and walk, but we cannot see it. In painting, the same thing happens and drawing would be the equivalent of the skeleton. It is what sustains the artwork. Even great abstract painters and abstract surrealists know how to draw and studied all the secrets of the craft, such as measuring, learning of proportions, perspectives, learning what is the pure line, the light and dark, contrast, passages, shadows, etc.\u00a0The real painters know about it. However, there are more and more painters who do not know how to do it and I say this with full knowledge of the facts. I am not curbing plastic freedom of expression or anything like that. It is wonderful to know that every day there are more people who paint and express themselves.\u00a0But sometimes it is frustrating to see how any artists are called\u00a0painters\u00bb. Many think that you don’t need to know\u00a0how to draw in order to paint and that’s a mistake, \u201cto disassemble\u00a0you need to learn how to put together first.\u00bbIt is one thing to be a painter and it is another thing to paint. To be a good \u201cpainter-artist\u201d it is necessary to have the knowledge, the skill and the creativity. These three things are necessary and go hand in hand; it is not just putting paint on a surface. This is a topic that gives a lot to talk about and we would never finish….<\/p>\n

Another problem is the hypocrisy in \u00abcertain\u00bb sectors that manage the art world, policies that sometimes set aside real talented artists and instead encourages others who at the end of the day, are not … It is very sad to understand that we live in such a materialistic and superficial world that has come to invade the world of art and profits from ignorance.\u00a0In the end, good art endures in all its disciplines.\u00a0It is a pity that many true and talented artists never achieve it and live in suffering and grieving all their lives, without even having the opportunity to show their works with dignity.\u00a0Art has materialized and capitalized itself in a cruel and disproportionate way. That has to change and art has to VINDICATE. We must implement real laws which help, promote, dignify and recognize the truly talented artist, enough hypocrisy! Enough of feeding the stereotype which exists by classifying artists as \u00abirresponsible bohemians\u00bb, enough of thinking and judging artists as lazy, sloppy, careless or as crazy and delusional lunatics…!<\/p>\n

\u200bHow do you want your art to affect?<\/strong>
\nI just intend to sensitize people in some way, so I can inspire someone to follow the path of art.<\/p>\n

www.ajmorales.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Reference: www.destig.com\/alex-morales.html#<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tell us about your background. Incentivized by my parents, I started drawing from a very young age. Just at 3 years old living in Buenos Aires (Argentina), my mother would write letters to my grandparents who lived in Uruguay and, since I did not know how to write, at the end of her letters, there […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajmorales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajmorales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajmorales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajmorales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajmorales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1273"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ajmorales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1291,"href":"https:\/\/ajmorales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1273\/revisions\/1291"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajmorales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajmorales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajmorales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajmorales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}