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

94 You’re a truly extraordinary painter, at the level of Velázquez (Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, 1599- 1660, Spanish painter, considered the greatest painter)— At the level of Velázquez there is no one ( laughs ). OK, so when preparing a painting, what do you look for first, the human figure or the background (a landscape, or other)? To me, most important is the human figure, because we are the protagonists to the ideas forming insidemy head. I paint about ourselves for ourselves, about our strength, desires and capacities, and especially of what we perceive as reality. On the other hand, a landscape by itself and created there, in the middle of nature, can be a marvellous experience. A short while ago, during the lockdown, someone asked me what sort of works would I like to have hanging on my walls, and I said it would mainly be landscapes and illustrations. All in a small format. What do you think of working on a computer? A very unsatisfactory experience. I love to be physically present with what’s around me, and transform it with my hands. The textures, colours, temperatures, scents… the reality has a presence that fascinates me. Let’s get back to how they contacted you for the Star Wars book. How did that happen? I’m not sure, but there’s always someone who collaborates. I will never forget the day I got the email fromLucasfilmwith the proposal to do a painting. I got it in the morning when checking my mail, and had to read it a few times to make sure I had read it right and it wasn’t a joke. The whole process was very satisfactory because the relation with all the people who followed the development of the work was magnificent. [They were] kind, respectful and professional people from the first moment to the last. It was a pleasure to be part of that project. I’ll get a bit personal here, but do you live from your work,