Serious And Not-So-Serious: Martin Reyna in 14 Questions

THE FLUIDITY OF LIGHT

At IdeelArt, we believe an artist’s story is told both inside and outside the studio. In this series, we pose 14 questions that bridge the gap between creative vision and everyday life, mixing professional insight with the personal quirks that make each artist unique.

From life-changing moments to favorite rituals, from big dreams to small surprises, discover a more personal side of Martin Reyna.

The Not-So-Serious Questions

8 questions to reveal unexpected quirks and everyday life of Martin Reyna

If your art was a song or a piece of music, what would be playing in the background?

That would depend on each series, as there would be different music for each series of paintings.

In general, I think more about one or two instruments than a specific song, and I believe those instruments are the piano and the guitar.

What's something you're obsessed with or have a strong interest in that has nothing to do with art?

Astronomy and football interest me a lot, and I actually feel they are quite related to art.

Coffee, tea, or something stronger while you work? Or just light and silence?

Coffee and music.

If you could meet with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?

Masaccio, the Italian painter from the Quattrocento. I would like to meet him and find out what kind of person he was. He seems to me to be an extremely enigmatic genius, perhaps because he had such a short life and not much is known about him.

If you weren't an artist, what would you be doing?

Art historian.

Can you share a short story or moment from your life that had a strong impact on your life as an artist?

When I discovered the city of Rome in 1997.

What does a good day look like for you, outside of the studio?

Painting outdoors.

Is there something about you that would probably surprise people who know your work only through your art?

I closely follow the matches and results of Roland Garros.

The (More) Serious Interview

6 questions to look deeper into the ideas, experiences, and hopes that shape Reyna’s creative journey.

What themes or questions keep coming back in your work?

Color and light, and their incredible ability to transform everything inside and outside of painting.

Can you describe a pivotal moment in your journey as an artist?

The Louvre Museum is one of the reasons I settled in Paris. There are always empty rooms: you can explore the Flemish painting, certain Poussins, Corots, Chardins and others, almost as if on a private visit. 

I sometimes draw or write a few sentences when I go there.

I treat these visits like a stroll. Even when the Italian rooms or those with large-format French paintings are crowded, I feel comfortable, because of the pleasure of wandering among the paintings.

What materials or processes are most important in your practice, and why?

Water is perhaps the most incredible material I have discovered, because it allows me to always paint something different and never exhausts its capacity to create new forms.

How do you want people to feel when they experience your work?

Interested in continuing to look at my work because what they see makes them want to discover the rest.

Can you walk us through a typical working day in your studio?

It’s hard for me to have two similar days; the only ritual I keep every day is going out for coffee before starting a day of work in the studio.

What dreams or hopes do you have for your artistic journey?

To be able to hold even larger exhibitions, both in terms of the size of the works and the space.

By Francis Berthomier

Featured image ©Ideelart. All other images ©Martin Reyna 

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