Discover the contemporary work of jose maría cal

José María Cal is a Valencian visual artist. He currently has his painting studio in the small town of Petrés, Valencia (Spain). Surrounded by surrounded by mountains and nature, it is the ideal space to develop your artistic work. He lived in the city of Valencia, Spain. Also in the Valencian towns of Xabia, El Puig, Puzol, Tabernes Blanques and Petrés.

Artistic training
- Masterclass. Plenaryist landscape painting. 2023. Taught Helena Blankenstein,
degree in fine arts.
- Industrial Designer from the EASD School of Art and Design in Valencia. Former EAAOA. Year 1986.
- Painting lessons Barreira Art School, Valencia. Year 76.

During his studies in industrial design, he painted landscape watercolors for a store in Valencia that sold paintings and drawings. He also worked on for a few years drawing all kinds of component plans in a plastic bottle manufacturing line at the same time. Manises.

For 23 years, he worked as an industrial designer in an automobile components factory, whereù he achieved He used hundreds of drawings and creative studies with materials such as temperas, pastel pencils and markers in the development of his work. During this stage, he was able to acquire an apartment in the city of Valencia and build his painting studio. There, he was able to develop his first major works in the field. acrylic painted on the floor and in a process of research techniques with the use of materials such as marble dust and plaster. It was in the 2000s. His artistic influences throughout his life. At this time were Spanish painters such as Miquel Barceló, Miguel Angel Campano, Mompó, Gordillo and José María Sicilia.

Later, during his career as a writer, he drew and illustrated all the graphic images contained in his travel, cooking and hotel books.

Already in his childhood and later At the El Vedat school in Torrente (Valencia), he distinguished himself in his studies. in the subjects of drawing and creativity. Because of his love and gift for painting, his father enrolled him in the art school. The Academy of Fine Arts of Barreira, in the city of Valencia. His most admired painters when he was a child were Dalí, Picasso and Miró. Then he creates small surrealist paintings where the Universe is always present. To create his universe, he painted and decorated all the walls and cupboards in his room. Later and because of his penchant for the artistic, he studied industrial design at home. the city of Valencia. There, he learned to really paint. He took courses in nude life, drawing of the human figure, painting, materials, composition, perspective, study of tonal values, ;development of artistic projects, etc. All the students went with the teacher to visit exhibitions in art galleries in Valencia.

Pictorial techniques and formats
After many years of using acrylic in his paintings, he began to use acrylics in his paintings. à use oil in combination with acrylic. He studied and researched enamels and glazes. oil. Use and testing with different grades of varnish in percentages of alkyd support, turpentine and poppy oil. Total absence of use of black and white. Currently he focuses on abstract landscape painting and using spatulas, palettes and stamps with stencils. Incorporation of the use of white and its enormous possibilities and application of broken colors (with burnt umber) or complementary. Much of his work remains semi-abstract, but he is often drawn to it. outside his studio by the desire to paint directly from nature. His creative process is always the same. It starts with pencil and marker sketches. Study of values (lights and shadows). The second phase consists of: carry out color studies in small format. Maximum in A4. In this space you can apply color without conditions, intuitively and in total freedom, making two or three triads or quadriads of colors in each test.
From this small format, these studies of colors and tones are transferred to the large format, normally a wooden frame with white canvas and with a size of 1 meter x 1 meter.

Exhibitions and competitions
          - 2024 - Individual exhibition from April 3 to April 30. Hopper space. Madrid
          - 2024 - Collective exhibition from February 10 to February 25. Pitijopos Gallery, Sanlúcar de
              Barrameda, Cádiz.
          - 2024 - 6th Valencia Biennale. Ciutat Vella Oberta 2023. November 14 to
                        January 7, 2024. Selected.
          - 2023 - Contemporary art collective November-December 23. Artistic Tour.
                         Can Xerta Restaurant, Santa Cristina d'Aro. Girona. Catalonia.
          - 2023 - Collective exhibition from October 17 to November 12, 2023. Burjassot Cultural Center.
                         Subject: « À about Sorolla ». Valencian Association of Culture.
          - 2023 - Collective exhibition June 23. Cuttoo Madrid Gallery.

Why do I paint?
I've really been painting and drawing since I was a child. It is the way of communicating my feelings and sensations to others. There are a lot of words in painting. Everything is expressed for the imagination, pleasure and interpretation of the viewer. Awaken your dreams, identify with yourself. the work. Each brushstroke becomes a reflection of my inner landscape, a mirror to my own life. through which I face my fears, my hopes and my dreams. Painting becomes a sanctuary, a space where I can unravel the complexities of existence, find comfort in the beauty of life. and finally discover the deep wisdom that lies dormant within me. An artistic work can accompany us in our moments of solitude and help us emotionally. Isn't that fantastic? Painting always looks at us and as it sees us, we see ourselves.
Creative process
I carry out lines of research on subjects that touch me and motivate me. I photograph with my camera all possible scenarios in an urban or natural environment. Also objects of all kinds, which convey something to me. Photos with interesting frames, drawings, sketches and written notes on color choice, composition and formal aspects. The final sketch: in pencil and drawing. acrylic. I transfer it to scale in the table. Materials: oil on canvas. Use acrylic to create the backgrounds. From time to time, for final finishes, I use pastel. oil. Maximum measurements of my works up to 1 meter on both sides.
The theme I explore
Pictorial style: Contemporary art. Figurative abstraction. Nature and landscape inspirations. I am interested in contrasts and the formal composition of the paintings. Bright, saturated colors, although also broken up. Drama light. Play between complementary colors, enamels and opacity. colours. Play between verticality and horizontality. Serenity and inner peace opposing the drama of the work. The theme is based on on the sensations and experiences of nature: the sea, fields and landscapes and their natural environments.
Memories, melancholy, daydreams. Sketched stories that invite the viewer to explore complete them; to create your own world by observing the work.