Joselu Montojo
“Drawing is the most honest way of expressing myself”
He never thought he would become an artist. In fact, the idea of turning his hobby into a profession frightened him. For Joselu Montojo (Mallorca, 1991) it all started on the day he published his first drawings on Instagram. He now makes a living from art.
text César Mateu Moyà
photography Pipi Hormaechea
How did you decide to take the leap and devote yourself to art as a livelihood?
After finishing my degree in advertising, I worked at an agency for three years and at the same time I started posting drawings on Instagram. There were people back then who wanted to buy the odd work from me. In 2015, the owner of Bar Cock in Madrid suggested an exhibition to me, and that was when I realised I could sell my work. I have been doing it ever since.
Have there been any artists in your family?
My grandmother, Nena Pavia, was a painter, but I have never seen her draw. It’s strange that none of her children are artists, but several of her grandchildren are. As though art had skipped a generation in our family.
What do you feel when you draw?
Happiness. It’s something I love. I am fairly reserved and quiet, but when I create a piece I know it’s the most honest way of expressing myself. It’s a very personal thing, something that comes from within. I know I am incapable of explaining in words what I express on a piece of paper or a canvas.
What is your artwork like?
My artwork is figurative, but I also say it’s pop because it’s very influenced by advertising, society and fashion. The colours are very common because the figures are flat. It’s fairly decorative.
A year ago you disappeared from social media. What happened?
I needed to engage in some introspection. I found some of my drawings from a long time ago and I reconnected with my self from the past. Since then, I have been using a more realistic style.
Which is why you have changed format...
Exactly. First of all I tried out different types of cotton and fabric, until I found a type of linen that holds the drawings quite well. I like it because it is a contrast with the digital side of the drawing with the naturalness of the linen. It’s that mixture of technology and tradition that I really like.
Nearly all of your drawings are digital, so do you use sketches?
Yes, but I do them on a graphic tablet. It’s as though I were drawing on paper, but I do it on the computer screen. And I add layers and layers to that initial sketch. Sometimes the initial result doesn’t have much to do with the preliminary idea, but I like to have a reference.
Why do you photograph many of your works in the countryside?
I am trying to create content that is different and the photographer I work with is helping me with this. I believe this is a good contrast, that the work integrates into nature. But it’s more a question of creating different content, because I take nearly all of the photographs of my work inside.
What inspires you when you create?
Fashion, nature, magazines… I am inspired by the everyday things around me. Mallorca is [...]
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