A FEW MINUTES WITH WALTER REDONDO 

Q:            How would you describe your particular artistic style, and your current body of work?

A:             As you know, I am an abstract painter, but I have allowed myself fairly broad working parameters within the genre. This allows me to do a great deal of exploration. What I’ve been working on lately is imagery that is somewhat figurative, a bit looser, saturated with color, and with a vague sense of motion. The images are composed of suggestive forms that seem to be both intertwined and sharing the common goal of transit, or transition. They are all going somewhere, moving toward something. This work is very relational, and I refer to the overall body of current paintings as ‘Exodus’.

Q:            What is the basis for your work? Does it have a central theme?

A:             I paint as a means of reaching out and relaying a message of hope and direction. The general theme of my work is that people must be of one mind and heart in order to successfully work toward a common goal. The underlying message of my work is that shared belief or faith allows us to reach together that which we cannot reach alone. This is just as much a dialogue that I am having with myself as one I’m having with the world at large.

Q:            Has your style evolved over time? More to the point, do you work in more than one style?

A:             I believe that the styles of all artists tend to evolve over time, mine included. In some cases the evolution can be incremental, while with other artists the changes can be quite dramatic. I am able to work in a variety of styles, from representational to abstraction, but at this point in my career I find that using abstraction allows me a more significant plane of exploration. That doesn’t mean that I might find tomorrow that a particular idea or concept might best be explored using a different style.

Possibly the most interesting aspect related to the manner in which my style has evolved is my former career as a tennis player. As you know, success on the tennis court is predicated on one’s ability to absolutely control the direction, speed and placement of the ball. So I spent an inordinate amount of time on the professional tennis circuit playing greats like John McEnroe, carefully strategizing, and concentrating fully on maintaining absolute control of every move I made on the court.

Q:            What you’re getting at here is the dichotomy of player versus painter?

A:             Very much so. There are definite parallels. As a painter, or a tennis player, I have to be there fully in the moment, remaining completely focused. But as a painter, in a very real sense, in order to completely participate in the process of creation – to allow whatever I am in touch with to flow onto the canvas – I must release all control over the eventual outcome, the actual resolution of the painting. It’s the exact opposite in tennis, where maximum control and anticipation translate to winning points.

The first two of these aspects I clearly bring with me from tennis, but the third – the complete ceding of control - will always be the most critical aspect of my successful completion of an artwork. Of course, this approach didn’t happen to me overnight. Rather, it has grown naturally, evolving throughout, and absorbing into itself the best facets of my past career.

 The combination of these three factors serves me well, because it allows me to remain involved in the creative process, no matter how bleak the situation or how long I might think that the piece is going nowhere. I have faith that the end result will be what it is meant to be. And, if the image doesn’t ever completely resolve itself, then I consider it to be a valuable learning experience, and I can freely move on from there.

Q:            Which artists have been most influential on your work?

A:             Willem de Kooning influenced me greatly early in my painting career, both with his color palette and his general style. I have always found the boldness and freedom of his work to be inspiring. Robert Motherwell is another early influence. His work is literate and intellectual in its space and form, and he has great boldness as well, but in a different manner than that of Willem de Kooning.  It could be that he uses black so effectively and that his details and marks on the canvas all seem to have meaning and purpose. Cy Twombly inspired me in the way he uses lines and openness of space. I love the feel I get from his use of pale color, the whites and creams, so rich. He marks a canvas like a child and yet it somehow becomes an intellectual dissertation.

 I always was impressed by Joan Mitchell’s use of color and the free flowing feel of her brushwork. She is so bold, yet completely relaxed with her style. Most amazing is that she is able to achieve that same look in practically any medium or size. Joan had a show at the Museum of Contemporary Art, in La Jolla, when I was about 20 years old. I was literally stunned by her work, the size of her canvases, her use of color. At the time it seemed to me that her imagery could transport one to a place of such deep involvement that they would be swept away by the sheer emotion. It’s difficult to put accurately in words, but I felt that in her work I was seeing the truest expression of her heart and soul. It made a tremendous impression on me, and became quite a strong force behind my dedication to being an artist. 

Q:            What materials do you favor working with, and what are their particular applications?

A:             I like to experiment, but primarily I am an oil painter. Often, I’ll start with acrylic because of its fast-dry properties, then follow up with oil paint. It dries much slower and I like the thick slow feel of it as it moves over the canvas. Sometimes I’ll do a lot of mixing with impasto as a means of getting more texture and creating more visual interest. Generally, I’ll cover the canvas completely, but sometimes it’s best to leave some of the canvas untouched, especially if I need to examine where the painting is heading. As far as the laying down of paint goes, I like to work quickly and in close to the canvas. I don’t allow myself to get too involved in the process, or begin over-thinking things. I have to remain focused yet detached enough to allow the creative flow to continue unimpeded. What’s most important to me is a sense of freedom or abandon. That is when the best things happen.

Q:            Could you describe how you approach a new canvas?

A:             Starting a painting for me is like a young child beginning to move a crayon across a paper. I just begin, with not a lot of thought – just doing. I work quickly and intuitively, with little planning, because I’m essentially approaching the painting from an emotional position. My personal understanding of the process is that for me it could be referred to as spiritual in nature, coming from my inner being, and that ultimately I must always have faith in the outcome.

 When I begin a painting I will apply color, texture and lines. These applications hold the information for me on what my next moves with the brush should be. My intention is always to stay in a state of inner connection because developing a painting is a process that requires, at least for me, an attitude about the outcome that will allow me to move forward with no reservations. This is the only way I know to let what my inner self sees become a reality and manifest itself onto the canvas.

Sometimes I’ll begin the first layer with a wash on the canvas, and in others I’ll put the paint on thickly. The eventual outcome rests within the work itself. It wants to manifest itself but I have to give it the opportunity to find the path outward. When things are moving well, the imagery slowly resolves itself as I work through the painting process. I try to keep my concentration narrowed and my being centered within the moment. As the painting develops more cohesion and detail I will step back and look at potential directions and outcomes. Seeing the painting in its entirety is important because making even small changes can dramatically affect the balance and final resolution of the work. There have been times when I was convinced that a painting was completed, yet by careful study, and by releasing all preconceived notions, I found a way to move the imagery up to a whole other level.  

Q:            Do you work strictly as a painter or do you also explore other creative directions?

A:             In addition to painting, I also create sculptures using a variety of materials. I favor employing found objects. The idea of taking the cast-off items and detritus of the world and repurposing them into artworks fascinates me. I also like the idea that the materials have an aged and organic feel to them, despite the fact that most are man-made objects. In addition, the interest that I have in found objects also extends to the representation and message that they contain for me as a person. Taking these cast-off, disregarded objects that seem to no longer have value, and putting them together in this manner gives them new purpose, interest, and in a way, imparts in them a message of hope and rebirth. These things that seemed lost have become found again. My hope is that each piece can ultimately speak its own inner truth to the viewer.

Q:            How do you approach creating this form of sculptural work? Where do these objects come from?

A:             Each part of the work serves a purpose, and its position and integration has been such that it complements and completes the overall design. There is a challenge in piecing together the shapes, lines, and textures - and doing it within a 3-dimensional geometric space requires a different form of perception than I use with a 2-dimensional surface. Every element has a specific positioning and purpose, and each is unique in its substance and form. I find the sculptural elements in a variety of places, and each has a distinct purpose. For example, the strength of the heavy wire ties that I get from the steel yard provide a sense of strength and holding together - and they let me use them to lead the eye, like I would use drawn or painted lines on a canvas. I love the softness of the driftwood that I find when walking my dog, Kiro, on the beach. Each piece of wood seems to its own hidden message, and focusing my attention on it fully helps me to reveal it. The process of time making its mark on objects is fascinating as well. Often, I'll collect rusted objects that I find while hiking, or climbing rocks up in the mountains with my wife, Maureen. There is a pure joy in this process of discovery and creation that makes time stand still for me.

Q:            Is there a particular theme, or themes, that you are exploring?

A:             That's an interesting question. Much of my work emanates from an internal dialogue, but some of it comes from my own expression of more overarching themes. I think the best example of this would be my Vessels paintings. This is a series that I return to every so often, and it is based on my feeling that we are all like vessels that move and travel on the river of life. At times, we are moving with the current - or we can be struggling against it. Whether we are bobbing along or fighting the rapids, the net effect is that the process causes us to touch each other. We alter other lives by our own movement, and in some cases there is a pouring out - a spilling over - into each other's lives. The river aspect is metaphorical, and I don't try to depict my Vessels as boats either. Rather, I see them as more bowl-like in character - because they hold us securely within them. 

Q:            Some artists accept commissions for various artworks; others avoid them. What about you?

A:             I do accept commissions, but because of the amount of work involved, I am only able to take on one or two selected painting or sculptural contracts each year.  I am interested in producing only major pieces as commissioned artworks. These artworks are usually restricted to existing collectors of my work - and they have to be willing to accept a few provisions that make the process easier and more fulfilling for all involved. Commissioned pieces may ultimately represent the most important longitudinal body of work that I will create - reflecting the best work over a long career - so I approach each one with that in mind, dedicating myself to the creation of something very special that reflects my artistic explorations during that interval of time.

Q             What else would you like to explore, in terms of the differing aspects of producing artworks?

A:             I think my next creative direction will probably be establishing an in-studio printing facility so that I can produce high quality giclee prints on paper and canvas. My original work is pricey for some collectors, so I’d like to be able to offer versions of my images at affordable prices. I don’t want to be painting for an elite group. I want to reach all of those who are interested in my work. Art is a social phenomenon that is at its highest cultural value when it can be shared by all.

Q:            There are many competent giclee printing ateliers out there – what makes you want to run your own printing studio rather than use the services of one of these print shops?

A:             I’d have to say that it has to do with my need to be fully involved in the process of making my artworks, whether it be original works or limited edition graphics. I feel like I’m the only one who really knows exactly what I want, so that makes me want to take the complete responsibility for the end result. This is how Miro, Picasso, Braque and the other great printmakers all worked.  They were hands-on, in the truest sense of the terminology. I set very high standards for all my work, and that certainly extends to giclees.  The reason I haven’t produced prints in the past is because of my wish to control every facet of their creation. I want those who buy my work to feel assured that what they are acquiring is the absolute best I can produce, the first time, and every time. The only way to guarantee that is to physically have my hands on every single piece, with no third-party involvement.

Q:            What is your personal philosophy as it relates to being an artist?

A:             I am trying to use art as a tool with which I can create and communicate. I strive to be an agent of positive change, to become changed at the same time, and to continue to grow as a human being. I believe that art can be a tremendous communicative tool because it represents an opportunity for shared visual experience. It speaks to me and to others, and it is a way of exercising and experiencing freedom. Art can make us feel the entire gamut of human emotion, from joy and elation, to sadness, vulnerability and despair. It is a universal language that both influences and inspires, and it touches the hearts and minds of all people.

Q:            What is your perception of the importance of Art, to yourself, and to the world at large?

A:             As I mentioned a minute ago, art is a way we can communicate. What I find interesting is that it has a similarity to music, in that it can touch us on many levels. For me, it is a means to learn, grow and inspire. As I see it, today’s world is in need of a lot of direction. We seem to have lost sight of one another, lost our means of communicating clearly. One of the few things that I can say with absolute certainty is that we are all in this together.

Since man first drew on the walls of caves, we have used art as the means to communicate with each other, to make a visual exposition of our hopes, dreams, and to chronicle the experiences of countless generations. Today, we can use art not only as a means of communication, to address social issues and share ideas, but also as a form of therapy. We need to do this, and yet, I have a suspicion that society is allowing art to be marginalized and made unimportant. Art has changed my life in many ways, and because of those changes I feel a responsibility to continue to use it to communicate. If my art makes someone else think about their future, touches them, or in some way helps illuminate their path in life, then in doing so it has changed me for the better as well.

Q:            Very well said. Do you have anything further you’d like to add?

A:             Only in the context of the more overt messaging in some artworks. Some artists I know seem to be compelled to insert social or political commentary into their work. That’s not me. Art is my personal creative tool but it doesn’t serve to define me as a person to the world at large. What I mean is that if I create a particularly good painting, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m a good person. Society has other criteria that establish that aspect. From the personal perspective, I see art as a means to help me internally distill information, such as how I respond at a given time to my surrounding environment, or where I am in my personal development, and then I move that distillation onto a 2-dimensional surface where it then gains a life of its own. 

Art is a complex two-way street; I can use it to communicate with you and others, but I also use it to dialogue with myself, and oftentimes that particular conversation takes place on a whole other level entirely. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m not really engaged in creating a painting with the overt idea of selling that painting to someone else. The artwork is a by-product of my own dialogue, something that emanates from my inner being. So it becomes even more rewarding when someone sees my painting and it touches them deeply enough for them to wish to acquire it for themselves. I have experienced this feeling many times myself while viewing the work of other artists. It is the essence and culmination of the creative process.