Therefore, Vidal wanted her paintings to be hung in every possible way so that the viewer had the opportunity to see each figure’s perspective. This total commitment to cultivating empathy is the foundation of her art. Her first directive was not to create versatile art, although that was a by-product. It is more important to help people realize that different life experiences exist.
“We can never see all perspectives at the same time,” Vidal said. “All experiences exist simultaneously, but we only have one pair of eyes and one heart through which we experience this impossibly relative thing we call life. We choose how to treat life every day. The differences are so subtle and obvious. In the other hemisphere, everyone looks upside down from our perspective. And vice versa. We are all used to this fact, but this is an extraordinary event.”
Vidal chose to paint her perspective on wood, using the texture as a background. Wood grain became another feature in her work. Lighter-colored trees swirl politely like sand in a gust of wind, while darker-colored trees may roll behind the image like thunderclouds. “As I learned from my masters,” she says, “each shadow reflects the surrounding light. When I paint, I paint this reflection using the tones of the wood. This helps to firmly integrate the architecture and characters into their space.”
Even the strongest textures provide a largely neutral base that allows Vidal to happily play with light and shadow and enhance the three-dimensionality of her paintings. The play between paint and wood furthers her focus on the interplay between the artificial and the natural. The result is harmony.
“Woodboards allow me to paint in a world filled with multiple textures,” Vidal said. “In my most recent work, I’ve stained the base color to enhance certain aspects of the color while retaining the texture. Mostly, though, I paint on wood because I love the warmth and homey feel it brings.”
All experiences exist simultaneously, but we only have one pair of eyes and one mind through which we experience this incredible relative thing we call life. We make choices every day about how we approach life. The differences are both subtle and obvious.
Those warm feelings can be traced back to Vidal’s childhood in Barcelona. There she grew up in an apartment whose parquet floors and wooden furniture filled her memories. This thread continues to this day, as her current home is filled with excess wood and ceramics, not to mention living atop her mother’s shop, which sells wooden toys.
“I’ve always tried to escape urban and synthetic environments,” Vidal said. “It’s a family legacy.”
In addition to painting, Vidal is also famous for his mural work. Her murals appear around the world from Spain to Hawaii. The projects incorporate elements of the local cultural context to respect the environment and the people who live in it every day. Two upcoming commissions will bring Vidal’s work home, one at the International University of Catalonia in Barcelona and the other at the public library of her hometown of Caddeu. Vidal also has a new solo exhibition at Australia’s Bennett Gallery, which will debut twelve new paintings.
But the project that excites her most is the possibility of expanding her practice into wood carving. This will allow her to take on new challenges while expanding her artistic mission into new contexts.
Vidal reflects: “Working on the sculptures will be a continuation of this year’s long exploration, but in a completely foreign language. I don’t want to paint the sculptures. I want their volumes to come out and speak for themselves. I have a really good carpenter partner and we’ve already made a first prototype and are very excited to do more!”*
This article first appeared in Hi-Fructose issue 68, which is still available in print here. View Cinta Vidal’s latest solo exhibition at Thinkspace Gallery in Los Angeles here!
