Now Featuring Ana Montiel

MH: You use the word “mantra” in the titles of many of your series.  A quick peek into the dictionary reminds us that a mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that are considered capable of “creating transformation.”  Can you tell me about how transformation is part of your work?

AM: Transformation is the key to all I guess… Without the power of transformation we wouldn’t evolve… Exploring Vedic wisdom in different ways (reading, meditation, yoga…) I started pondering more and more about change, evolution, cycles… All these concepts are part of my work. Transformation as a will to evolve, flow and understand.

MH: Do you find that pattern and variation are meditative, or related to the ideas of cycles and transformation we were talking about?

AM: Absolutely. They are my visual way of exploring the concept of Samsara (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saṃsāra).

MH: What’s you mind state when you’re working?

AM: Completely focused on the drawing, in a meditative way. Sometimes repeating mantras in whispers or silently, in other occasions I keep focused on the artwork but I listen meanwhile to classical Indian ragas (…or Animal Collective and other bands that I like listening for inspiration.

MH: How does nature influence you work? Some of your work has titles that recall the natural world, like the Flower and Green Mantras, and Faux Mineralis.

AM: Nature is the origin of everything. The more I observe and learn about our Universe the more I’m amazed! At home we are huge David Attenborough fans, my boyfriend and I watch all his nature documentaries…  but we went crazy when we saw The Deep in particular. So many amazing underwater creatures full of light and color! Full of mystery and very inspiring!

Faux Mineralis

MH: A lot of your work is graceful and elegant, but there are occasional moments that seem less serene, maybe even a little aggressive or willfully awkward, like the Faux Mineralis series (which I really like, by the way).  Can you talk about that series, and the different emotional tones in your work?

AM: The Faux Mineralis series is from 2007.  My life was full of changes… Letting go a lot of things from the past that I didn’t want in my life anymore and promoting new healthier habits; practicing yoga and meditation more often, following an ayurvedic lifestyle, becoming little by little first vegetarian and then vegan. I guess the old me and the new me were dialoguing (and even in collision sometimes) and all this situation is reflected in this work series.

MH: Speaking of transition, It looks like you’ve recently made the move from Barcelona to London.  Can you tell me a little about the art scenes you’ve experienced in both cities?

AM: I keep wonderful memories from the decade I spent in Barcelona. The ever-lasting sun, those long nights, exciting art events, crazy gigs… but I’m afraid I’m so overwhelmed by London at the moment that my head is much more here than there! So many wonderful people doing interesting stuff in this city that it’s crazy! There are amazing exhibitions all the time, cool gigs, great places… not enough hours in a day to experience them all! London is full of layers, you can find scenes within scenes within scenes. I’m still a newbie here but it seems endless (and awe-inspiring)!

MH: Your work with wallpaper, textiles and painting/drawing recalls some 19th Century artists like William Morris, who approached decorative and fine arts at the same time.  I see from your blog that you’re a fan of Morris… Who and what are other Arts & Crafts inspirations?

AM: Wiener Werkstatte and Bauhaus are big influences as well… I always understood creativity in a very holistic way and I think this fits with their way of doing things… It’s fun and it also makes sense to try different paths/mediums depending on the moment or the project.

Some of Ana Montiel's design portfolio: wallpaper.

AM: I love cooking, reading, spending time with my boyfriend and with friends, travelling every time we can, going to gigs, dancing, exploring the city, playing with my cat, watching movies and documentaries, improvising herbal tea mixtures, learning new things, going to flea markets.

Circle Cycles, from the Visual Mantras book

MH: Do you have anything else you like to share with LPP readers?

AM: I’d like to recommend two books: ”The Artist’s Way: A Course in Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self” by Julia Cameron and “Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity” by David Lynch.  The second one is much better as an audiobook! Lynch himself reads it and it’s awesome.

Visual Mantras. An artist book by Ana Montiel. from Ana Montiel on Vimeo.