We were lucky to catch up with David Olivera recently and have shared our conversation below.
David, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
The class room was so quiet, the only sound that could be heard was the AC unit humming the cool air out of the system. Reading and writing comprehension in the fourth grade was a very focused time, and as the teacher looked up, overseeing the students, her attention was immediately caught by one of her pupils in what seemed unusually common yet perplexing. She slowly rose up from her desk, standing as a silent sentinel tower, with her eyes scanning across the room. Nothing interrupted, she gently walked towards the back of the class and as she’s making her way she notices the child is not actually writing, but making scratching marks in notebook paper. Hands clasped together in front of her, she cocks her head down and notices the child is actually drawing. Gracefully with her right hand, index finger and ring finger together, she taps three times on the desk and said “Please put that away. You’re supposed to be writing, not drawing David.”
It would this fourth grade teacher that would put in the good word about me to the art teacher which allowed me to get into my elementary school art club. A club whose young members display exceptional potential in art and drawing. It was there that learning my craft made its maiden voyage in academia but it was raw curiosity, dedication and passion the foundation for all was to come and still continues.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
What I do and how I feel about what I do, go hand-in-hand with being grateful and feeling blessed. The medium being paint, my work can be as complex as an architectural rendering or as abstract as a contemporary work of art. My practice as a painter is fluid. I work from my home studio where I am able to focus on pieces no larger than 5×5 feet/1.5×1.5 meters and also from my art studio in Little Havana, a Latin American cultural and heritage town, located in Miami, Florida, which allows me to create even larger works.
Painting for me a process that visualizes ideas that at times originate from the subconscious and at other times come from conscientious observations that inspire the artwork. The fluidity of consciousness is not limited to just my own but rather a dialogue in which I explore other ideas and experiences beyond myself. This collective experience enables me to navigate concepts with painting in detail and intricate pieces while also incorporating the looseness and spontaneity of abstract works. Both are beautiful and amazingly different.
There are three elements that refine and polish the vision into a final painting whether it be exhibited in a gallery or presented to a collector who privately commissioned the work; strong technical skills, acute inquisitiveness, and exploration of aesthetics. The level of detail and care in each painting is accomplished with the knowledge acquired from decades of studying materials, their function, and their conservation properties. Technical painting skills are a continuous journey of understanding the traditional working methods of old master painters and simultaneously seeking new possibilities for creative processing tools to achieve the vision intended. Tools are as good as the thoughtful intention guided by inquisitive minds, I find interest and curiosity as a natural behavioral operative system in my person. I am reminded of the quote by Wassily Kandinsky “There is no must in art because art is free” For me the freedom to have geniune interest beyond myself and go back to my own thoughts is an excitingly rich way of existing not just as an artist but a human being. This sense of wonder has served me well through the years and reflects on the artwork. Skills and curiosity ultimately come together to define beauty and its significance within the context of the work. In my career as an artist, I have come to understand that aesthetics is everywhere and that fact is what keeps me interested and constantly exploring. Andy Warhol said it best “Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.”
The journey as an artist is a life adventure I know will be till the end. Thus, as I continue my path I am
thankful and fortunate to create and bring to life works that will bring similar admiration for skills, wonder, and beauty.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The stretched cotton canvas measures only 18 x 36 inches (45.72 x 91.44 centimeters) however every brush mark, every millimeter of the painted surface, and well beyond the actual painting has taken 12 years to come together to create. It all began with a casual conversation with an old friend over a decade ago regarding a painting that would be like no other currently in existence. A painting that would faithfully and authentically represent a historical moment in time from a point of view impossible to have ever been photographically recorded.
This oil painting depicts the RMS Titanic hours before departing from Southampton, England on Wednesday, 10 April 1912. The perspective is composed of a wide-angle birdseye aerial view of the entire ship, dock, and even vast portions of the port city. In order to create a high level of historical accuracy thousands of historical images, research in archives, assisted by original period construction plans and even traveling to the actual locations have been vital to recreate every visible structure contained in the painting. Currently, the painting is in the final phase of completion. All these years, just to bring to will a painting that most viewers might never fully understand. Vincent Van Gogh sums it up perfectly “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
It is inadequate to accurately describe what is the most rewarding aspect of being an artist. Perhaps, understanding and constantly being reminded that there is a world beyond my own. A world filled with beauty, ugly, new, old, timeless, forgotten, the lost, and the found. With great excitement and vigor, I see new paintings in my mind not yet been created in the physical realm. I am profoundly fortunate to create artwork to be appreciated by human beings not yet born.
Contact Info:
- Website: davideolivera.com
- Instagram: @davideolivera
- Facebook: David E Olivera
Image Credits
All images by David E Olivera