We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Paulo Gago. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Paulo below.
Paulo, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
About that, have to say, im quite confidente about my work, i know what i do, what i want to transmit on each painting, the work i need to develop before the actual painting it self. When i paint a city scape, i need to bee there, i need to go there and feel that dynamics, need the warm ….for the warm colors and lights also….need all that to express and so i can create something that can show people who never been at those places, what they would feel if there. I believe thas a good start to be confident about what i do. About a career, what i can say is….if an artist finds no confidence in what he/she does, wont have the confidence needed to take the art further and do it as way of life. Cause its whats all about….a way of life.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Im a self taught artist…painter mainly…started early drawing and painting, mainly pencil and wathercolors or gouache. Come from a simple and modest family, so couldnt invest much in art materials as a kid, specially because of the perspectives of future in Portugal about it. Grew up listening that I had a talent, but went trough economics in High School.
About talent, have to say, this is something that I was born with, i know how to do it since a kid, i believe that “talent” as people say, as special and rare as people say it is, its more of an innate compreension for that particular “thing”. Corse has to be worked.
My current art, is a result of several phases of progress and development that lead me to this way of working and showing the dynamics of our world, refering to urbanscapes, with all of its ingredientes, not the traditional landscape, we need all, the whole. Movement, people, cars, etc, eeling that bright and light that comes out of it and afects us.
I normally show my works around Portugal, Spain and France at the time. Its a growing processs, and for sure would love to continue to expand and reach other countries with my art, thats part of my motivation, the other is the artists typicall dream of living eclusivly of arts, freeing the mind and just create.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
For sure one was and still is perseverence, even when things dont go the right way, its normal to feel disapointed or demotivated….just need to accept that as normal, so that can overcome it and, if necessary, restart over again and again….
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
When i was around 10, my mom bought me somethingthat would make me consider to develop painting at the time, even with 10. Of corse not as a business, but as a personal and inner development of my skills….. She sent for a suitcase, full of oils, acrylics, soft and oil pastels, brushes, top quality at the time…..30 years ago……that was a special thing in my life, my mom believed in me, and still believes.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/art_by_paulo_gago
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/Paul0Gag0
