26 Artists & Illustrators
INTERVIEW
ABOVE Fragile,
one of Antonio’s
murals in Jacó,
Costa Rica
If you do a painting in a street
everyone can see it and it becomes
part of a neighbourhood
and horses, and the house was
full of pets, as well as a library of
encyclopaedias filled with pictures
of wild animals that provided further
inspiration. The young artist would
draw from these books, honing his
skills and sowing the seeds for his
later career.
Antonio would go on to study
illustration and then later graphic
design at the University of Valencia,
but when it comes to his painting, he
is entirely self-taught, something that
accounts for his distinct style.
His Valencia studio is spacious and
organised, divided into different areas
for different disciplines. There’s a
library with sofas, desks withcomputers for his digital work,
and then there’s his painting zone.
Antonio has two assistants – one
for the administrative side of his work
and the other with painting prep. It is
a necessity for an in-demand artist
who often works 12-hour days in the
studio. His illustration clients have
included everything from Giorgio
Armani to a tourist information office
in Cuba. Luckily his enthusiasm for
his craft remains strong.
Antonio’s process for both
canvas paintings and murals is
similar. It begins with research, which
he says is the most difficult aspect of
his work. He looks at plenty of wildlife
photography – including some of his