(Courtesy of Arantzazu Martinez)
Then what does it take to dream? Martinez said:
“In the end it is a choice. If you get close to the things that make you feel sad, sad because of this, sad because of that, or because of what happened here or elsewhere, or because of yourself, it’s a choice. If you choose to look for the things that you feel better about, that too, is a choice. I would say: help yourself.”
Martinez’s cascading words burst with passion as she speaks of the source of her inspiration.
“When it comes to the different art forms ... I believe there is a connection between all of them, they give you that high emotion: they make you feel bigger, give you more clarity, make you feel more able to move, give you confidence. I’m inspired by the idea of human strength; that feeling you get when you follow your dreams; the ability to create something that doesn’t exist, not only in a book, or a painting, or a sculpture—but even in life, every single day that you wake up in the morning. That feeling that makes you feel really, really, good; it’s about strength, clarity, love, a deep calm, fun. ... So my inspiration is many, many things together.”
Martinez would love her paintings to have the “ability to color people’s lives, that it shows people the way to that emotion, to that dream. When you are close to art that makes you feel in a different, better world, that’s beautiful. It is beautiful because it is refreshing, it is arresting, exciting and great. That’s what I’m looking for. ”
Wim Van Aalst is a painter based in Belgium
