'Artists can bring joy to this world.'
Emanuel is a contemporary figurative artist who brilliantly works narratives into his striking artworks. His use of lush brushstrokes, bold colour, and storytelling draws you in. Born in Portugal, Emanuel has exhibited extensively internationally, he has been based in London, currently working from his studio in Scotland.
Where is your current studio? What would be your dream studio?
I always had the studio being part of my living arrangements, always in the same apartment or house... usually it’s the biggest room; that’s my ideal situation and at the moment, I think I’ve got the perfect studio at the moment, having day;Ishtar most of the day and high ceilings to raise my easels as high as possible. Edinburgh, Scotland, is such a quiet and open city, beautiful light and near the sea...
Do you prefer to work in silence or does certain music inspire you?
I usually prefer some back noise in my studio, either a documentary, podcast, movie or music. These vary according to my mood or necessity; music wise, I always prefer instrumental in order not to get distracted. I like music that can provide my imagination and mood to open and relax, not to feel in the physical world and flow with what my mind is in need of.
Studio life can lead to isolation, how do you address this/ keep a balance?
I really do not mind isolation at all, just feels natural and comforting. Not having to deal with other people’s schedules, or necessities allows me real freedom of mind and spirit... it’s quite necessary to be in that moment to reach a certain level of concentration so things can flow in the studio.
Describe a moment you had an epiphany concerning your creative life.
The latest moment was when I came up with the “Bruce Lee shoes” series concept. After a few years experimenting with portraits, involved with the difficulties of its intricacies and not being happy with its results, and also going through a rough creative phase, I decided to move on a direction where I’d only be painting what made me feel joyous , something fun that I could dive into and be lost in that universe, and that series came to be: a reflection on nostalgia, on its components and reflections, capturing and translating these moments into paint.
What is your favourite/ least favourite part of the creative process?
Well, it’s difficult to define... sometimes what you like the most becomes a nightmare... other times, what you least expect from a tedious and cumbersome task, transforms the whole aesthetic and concept propelling it light years ahead of what you conceptualised at first. I think each component has its moments and during the years I’ve been working, I’ve learned to cherish each moment at its best... sometimes mixing paint can be very relaxing and a meditating system. From stretching a canvas, to varnishing a finished piece, I do like the whole journey.
Do you have a personal mantra or quote which serves to motivate you?
I’ve tried to have them over the years, and what I’ve concluded from it is this, every series or group of paintings have their own mantra... the current one is: “character over similarity”...
How has your style evolved and what contributed to the changes?
I believe that in spite of painting for the last 20 years, now I’m reaching the beginning of the real path of my creative process, it really feels like the real start in the sense that now, after a few years, I finally have interesting moments to share with people. Evolution and maturity are finally in sync, coming from sharpening skills and techniques to feeling a certain freedom to express.
Describe an obstacle you have faced and how did you overcome it.
The latest obstacle was coming from big dimension paintings to smaller sizes. It’s much easier to paint big than small... the final result, the way the final piece has to resonate is extremely important, and a bigger painting does that just by the sheer size and scale, it’s imposing and present! A smaller piece doesn’t have that factor, so I have to really bring in sensitivity and craft something so precious and unique that becomes bigger emotionally...
Nature versus nurture: do you believe you have inherited abilities from creative parents, do you have creative siblings? Can you identify environmental factors or influences which led to your choices or directions?
In my case, I do believe it was more a case of having a natural tendency to draw, and then, over the years and search for that type of knowledge, absolute nurture. Also to help that hunger, a few favourite artists to feed from: Paula Rego, Lucian Freud, Eric Fischl were the start of my visual culture, the first ones that I wanted to imitate, the ones I wanted to reproduce the feeling I had from looking at their work.
Is there something you regard as essential to your preparation or process?
Technique before... always! Then, after having learned to speak that, you can move on to destroy and rebuild anyway you feel necessary. And maybe more important than all, opening your mind to limitless possibilities, acknowledging its infinity and embrace it.
Detail a moment which was the highlight for you, thus far. Personally having met my idol Paula Rego; the moment I was able to paint a portrait with character; when I first drew successfully; when someone famous got in touch about my work... there are others and I can’t really define any of them as being on the top. How does your work respond to social trends?
I try not to... I feel that trends can be a beautiful trap, although I’d like to differentiate trend from current events, which there are phenomenal artists dealing with it... trends are alluring and golden, but a scarce resource and empty content after a little while... and by this, what I mean is, it doesn’t work for me... it works for other artists.
What do you hope to convey through your work? Joy, playfulness, lust…
Follow Emanuel!
@emanueldesousaart