EXTRACTS: Illustrators issue 34 by Book Palace Books * 96 PAGES IN FULL EDITION

91 painter), Böcklin (Arnold Böcklin, 1827-1901, Swiss painter), Waterhouse (John William Waterhouse, 1849- 1917, English painter), Leighton (Frederic Leighton, 1830- 1896, English painter, draughtsman and sculptor), Draper (Herbert James Draper,1863-1920, English painter), Millais (John Everett Millais, 1829-1896, English painter and illustrator), Doré (Gustave Doré, 1832-1883, French printmaker, illustrator, comics artist, caricaturist, painter and sculptor)… So, which artist inspired you the most? All those I’ve mentioned. I spent my childhood reading stories and illustrated books, and each new image transported me to a new reality. Were there any other artistic members in your family? At home my father painted, sculpted, moulded the clay that we collected in the mountains, and his paintings were hung on the walls. Although not professionally dedicated to it, his art was always a part of my life. As a curious note, if we go further back in time, we get to the painter Ignacio Díaz de Olano (1860-1937) who was the cousin of my paternal great-grandmother. When I go to the Vitoria Museum of Fine Arts I spend a lot of time looking at all the details of ‘Vuelta de la romería del Calvario’ (1903). I love his work and I confess that I like the fact that he has related to me, even if distantly. Where did you study? I began studying at the Fine Arts school in Bilbao, and from there went to the New York Academy of Figurative Art in America, and a short time later I met Jacob Collins (b. 1964, American realist painter) with whom I finally found the knowledge I was seeking. Tell us about the main tools you use for your paintings. I start with pencil and paper ( laughs ), and once I get to the canvas, I use Belgian linen with several coats of primer so the texture of the canvas is quite smooth. I have always painted in oils and use different brands to have colours that are more “oily” than others. That way I don’t have to use any medium, and the gloss of the surface is more homogeneous. The brushes I use are mostly round and synthetic. Take us through the process of one of your paintings, from the first idea or concept to the finished image. Normally I spend the most amount of time in generating the idea. All that going in and out of your imagination, preparing myself to be precise on all the forms and colours, FACING PAGE: Dracula , oil on linen, 162 cm x 97 cm (64” x 38”), 2011. Fascinating work of light and shadow, plus unbelievable detail on the drapery and the lady’s dress. LEFT: Absolute Trust – Sleeping Beauty, oil on linen, 230 cm x 130 cm (99” x 51”), 2014. This painting got the ‘Best in Show’ Award at the 11th Annual ARC Salon.