CH.89: If you were to categorize or describe the style of your artwork, what would it be and why?
AJ: The style that identifies me at the moment is minimalism. To take my works to their minimum expression, reducing and stripping away leftover elements. I like the idea of being able to reflect a moment of calm, serenity and reflection.
CH.89: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
AJ: My inspiration comes from different places, architecture, nature, the morphology of things, what surrounds me, simple things, art, music. I try to look at things in a different way, to be able to grasp their essence.
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about what your creative thought process is like when starting a new project/ piece of artwork?
AJ: I always start from the origin of things. I try to break it down, so that the result is as simple and clear as possible, that it reveals its parts in the minimum.
CH.89: Is there anything in particular that you would want people to take from your artwork?
AJ: What is transmitted in a world full of information bombarded with images is the simplicity of things in their complexity.
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about your lifestyle as an artist and what that is like?
AJ: I try everyday to connect with places, people, music, and art. I look for things that inspire me. I’m not producing things all the time, and in the moments that I am not, much of that time becomes a personal process of reflection and research.
CH.89: When starting out an artistic task, do you think it is better to have a particular direction/set plan guiding your way? Or, is it better to act on impulse and go from there?
AJ: It depends what you are developing, if it is something personal it can be more fluid and non-linear, but as a graphic designer I also work in terms of specific jobs, which are done with a predetermined methodology.
CH.89: What is one major lesson you’ve learned as an artist thus far?
AJ: Follow instinct and be faithful to what is done and believed.
CH.89: Do you regard personal style & taste to be of highest importance?
AJ: I consider them of great importance. To be able to create a certain language and to transmit it, in a way that it differentiates and is able to identify itself in its totality, is important.
CH.89: What do you consider to be the hardest thing about being an artist?
AJ: The most difficult thing is to be able to reach a total point of security and confidence in what one does. That is what you have to deal with all the time. The personal process gets difficult, there are always fears and doubts. Both the fears that we face ourselves and the ones that become exposed, it is like being naked at one point in front of others’ gaze . It is a moment of total surrender.
CH.89: What is one thing you love about being an artist?
AJ: The personal moment of expression in which I feel free to do what I want.
CH.89: Is there anyone in particular, any artist’s that inspire you in any way?
AJ: Inspiration in a world so global and with millions of talented people is something I get all the time, from movie directors, musicians, architects, illustrators, designers, and photographers. I can draw inspiration from great artists, as well as from unknown or emerging artists. I could not specify just one because I feel I would leave thousands unnamed. I believe that we receive inspiration all the time from different people either in time or in art itself.
CH.89: What do you think of technology in terms of being a useful tool for artists today?
AJ: Particularly it is something that I use all the time, and necessary for what I make. It is a tool that opens up infinite possibilities. I never denied it, but rather took it and incorporated it.
CH.89: Do you think being an artist allows you to view the world differently from those who don’t follow creative paths?
AJ: There are many ways to see the world and each has a unique way. In my case I feel open, predisposed, and more sensitive. I observe and try to connect emotionally. I am predisposed to everything that has to do with that.
CH.89: Do you enjoy traveling? If so, do you have a favorite city?
AJ: One of the ways of greater personal enrichment is to travel, to know different places, people and ways of life. At this moment I am embarking on a journey, with no date of return, and with an open destiny to what is presented to me at the moment.
CH.89: Do you have a favorite author or book?
AJ: Julio Cortázar, Murakami, Jack Kerouac, Jose Saramago, Michel Houellebecq, just to name a few.
CH.89: Any future goals or plans for your artwork?
AJ: At the moment I do not have any specific plan, but I’ll always keep the idea of being able to carry out an exhibition of my work somewhere.
CH.89: What does being an artist mean to you?
AJ: A way of life, a choice, a way that I want and try to transit.
CH.89: What’s the last song you listened to?
AJ: I listen to music all the time, very diverse and varied. Usually I’ll listen to one song many times, I could name several … I will name one of the latest, Murder by John Frusciante.
CH.89: Any last words on the aesthetic of your artwork?
AJ: Breath.
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