Acrostic Interview with Paul Torres
[hoot_dropcap]Tagline: Give yourself and your work a tagline or sentence.[/hoot_dropcap]
Social commentator.
[hoot_dropcap]Rest: How do you spend your time off[/hoot_dropcap]
I like to read and listen to KPFK and NPR and going out to eat with my girlfriend.
[hoot_dropcap]Influence: What would you like to share with our audience and what effect do you hope to have on us?[/hoot_dropcap]
I would like to share my unique point-of-view on society and hopefully I will entertain people enough and have a good impact in their lives.
[hoot_dropcap]Back: If you could choose a past literary/art/music movement to be a part of, which would you choose?[/hoot_dropcap]
I’m torn between the Baroque Period and the French impressionism.
[hoot_dropcap]Energy: What fires you up?[/hoot_dropcap]
I love good music while I work and exercising before working.
[hoot_dropcap]Los Angeles: Where is your favorite place in Los Angeles? Where would you take visitors? If you could defend the city in one sentence to someone who doubts it, what would you say?[/hoot_dropcap]
My favorite places are the Santa Monica and Venice Beach areas and if I were to say to people something about Los Angeles is that it’s a very creative place with a lot of inventing minds; and you have to take the good with the bad and I think that the good surpasses the bad.
[hoot_dropcap]Advice: What is the best advice you’ve received? What is the best advice you can give?[/hoot_dropcap]
The best advice that I’ve been given is to work from Life a lot. A lot of Life drawing sketches because that’ll give you a good solid knowledge of reality, but at the same time work from your imagination and try to be honest and genuine with your vision. Own what you do.
The best advice I can give other artists is to find something you like to draw and stick to that; learn about it and try to develop your own vision. Definitely learn the fundamentals of arts, crafts and technique before you can Master your content.
[hoot_dropcap]Aura: How would you describe your energy, style, etc.?[/hoot_dropcap]
I like to get energized with music or with good conversation before I paint. I guess my style some people think I’m a pop surrealist, others think I’m an urban surrealist, but I think my true style is just my name Paul Torres because I believe that I don’t quite fit in any category and I don’t really want to fit in any category at the same time.
[hoot_dropcap]Room: Where in your home do you work? If not in your home, where do you feel most compelled to create?[/hoot_dropcap]
I have a room for a studio where I paint. I also like to do Life drawing sketches outside in restaurants and places like that.
[hoot_dropcap]Tools: What do you prefer to work with, physically and otherwise?[/hoot_dropcap]
My favorite medium is oil painting but I also do a lot of color pencil, marker, acrylic, oil, pastels… a little bit of everything. I always end up with oils or sometimes I just do everything in oils from the start.
[hoot_dropcap]Indulgence: What is your favorite indulgence? Do you cook? What is your specialty meal? What is your favorite restaurant in LA where you indulge yourself?[/hoot_dropcap]
I love to buy art supplies online like Amazon and Blick and I like to eat out with my girlfriend. I recommend Savoy and Noodle World in Alhambra and Petrollis Italian restaurant in San Gabriel. I also like Indian, Middle Eastern, etc. L.A. is an amazing place to eat.
[hoot_dropcap]Special: Who or what holds a special place in your heart? How does this factor into your creative process?[/hoot_dropcap]
I will have to start with my girlfriend, my daughter, my brother, my parents , my friends, and also my love for people.
[hoot_dropcap]Time: What is your all-time favorite piece of writing/art/music you’ve created?[/hoot_dropcap]
Notrica Market
Thank you Paul!
About Paul Torres
Coming to the United States for a one-year stay at the age of nine to Mar Vista, CA is when Paul fell in love with the art culture here. After immigrating to the United States permanently at age 18, he served in the U.S. Army, attended Otis Parsons Art Institute forum for two years and in 1998, he received his Bachelor of Fine Art in Illustration from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
Paul had the privilege to study with prominent leading artists such as Daniel Greene, Albert Handell, Norwegian artist Jan Saether at The Bruchion School in Los Angeles and Joseph Mendez at the Businessman’s Art Institute in Los Angeles. Paul worked for several years in the animation and movie industry that included DIC entertainment (as a Character designer). And helped make The Ghostbusters TV syndication and network show Number 1. In addition, he worked for “Cool World,” Ralph Bakshi productions, “Scrooged” and other movies, all while exhibiting paintings in galleries, museums and private collections.
Naturally gifted with a keen observation of everyday life and the cultural, social, political and religious landscape in the world we live, Paul Torres’ art embodies a rich imagination and is laced with social commentary and a soulful interpretation of everyday life. Paul was born in Chile, his interest in art began at age 3 after being introduced to comic books. He developed a love for comic books and started drawing soon after, his father then hired a private art tutor for him. By the age seven, he was already enrolled in an art correspondence school. Early on, Paul also became influenced by Hollywood films and mostly enjoys horror films and Westerns.
Paul has been called a visionary artist with soul. His creativity comes from utilizing various mediums. He works with an assortment of media ranging from oil to acrylic, wet inks to dry and prefers oil. Although he feels most comfortable working from life experiences and live models, he uses this vision to bring his work into a more personal level. He aims for a magical realism rooted in the tradition of the old masters with undertones of modern influences.
Reach out to Paul Torres
instagram.com/paultorrescom
paul-torres.com
If you missed Paul’s featured works and interview plus Chris Bonno’s review, click the previews below:
ART TODAY 022118 “my true style is just my name, Paul Torres …I don’t quite fit in any category”