Cinta Vidal Shifting Perspectives

Although she's perhaps too humble to admit it, Cinta Vidal is an artist - and a uniquely talented one at that.

Her works are a kaleidoscopic mix of different experiences and perspectives, all rolled into single images that can be appreciated from almost any angle.

Did you always see yourself as an artist?

As I child, I was drawing and painting all the time. I never stopped. When I was 16, I started working as an apprentice in a scenography atelier [theatrical scenery workshop]. I spent ten years working hard there, but when the work became scarce I tried my own path.

I knew from my childhood that my way to express myself is painting, but I didn't expect to live off my own pieces. I have lived from my work for the last four years. It's an amazing surprise for me.

You don't like referring to yourself as an artist. Why?

Because I come from an atelier, where I was just one in a team of painters. I learned the trade of painting from the big masters. I prefer to consider myself a craftswoman than an artist.

Your work spans multiple mediums, from smaller-scale canvas paintings to murals spanning whole walls. How do you adjust so well to each medium?

I learned how to paint murals doing large-scale backdrops for theatre. The images always came from a set designer, not from me. Now I have the opportunity to paint my own work on that scale.

In the smaller compositions the subject can be anything, but for murals I always try to find inspiration from the nearby environment. The small paintings can be hung in different places but a mural has a context and often people living nearby. To me that's not a limitation - it's a challenge and an opportunity to interact with a public space.

It's clever how you manipulate and subvert the perspective of the viewer. What inspired you to start working in this style?

I love to paint elements in different orientations in order to talk about the different points of view we all have. I'm fascinated by how different our inner perspectives about the same places can be. Often we are very close to others, but at the same time very far in our inner dimensions.

My pieces can be hung in different orientations, allowing the viewer to see all the views. We will never be able to see all points of view at the same time. They all exist, but we must choose one. I think this happens constantly in life. In the opposite hemisphere everyone is upside down from our point of view. We have become accustomed to it, but it's an extraordinary event.

Are there artists or creatives in other fields who inspire you?

There are many painters that I love deeply. Some from the past, like Vermeer, Hopper or Escher. If I could time travel I would go and do plein air with Fauvism painters, to spend a day with Paul Cézanne, André Derain and Henri Matisse.

Some of the contemporary artists I feel similar to, aesthetically and conceptually, are Ben Tolman, David Umemoto, Tishk Barzanji and Slinkachu, to name a few. I also love and respect the work of Aryz, Reskate Studio and Guim Tio.

What's next for you?

I'm exploring the possibility of wooden sculptures, a long-term project. It's a huge challenge for me, because it's not in my comfort zone, but I'm really excited to experiment with real materials. I will have the help of the great carpenter Joan Soler.

I'm also working for a special project at MOAH (Lancaster Museum of Art and History) in California. It will be various exhibitions from artists who work with architecture. I have a year to work on it and my idea is to work on big canvas, something I've never done before. I can't wait to start.