Brush in hand, Jimmy Alcala savors the sun, Monday June 24, 2024. “Since I arrived on June 5, it hasn’t stopped raining. I was about twelve days late. » Because the Franco-Spanish artist has work to do: a 250 m² fresco to paint on the surrounding wall of the former Harry’s factory, just outside Châteauroux, on the Cap Sud side, at the request of the municipality.
As a result of the unstable weather, he is only at the beginning of his work. “I wanted to finish in July, that won’t be possible. » And the native Castelroussin admits that this setback tends to frustrate him, “because I’m obsessed. When I stop painting, the work of creation, of visualization, continues in my head. »
Fascinated by Moorish art
Born to two Spanish parents, Jimmy Alcala has created his own graphic style. “I started with calligraphyhe explains. Every day repeating the same gestures, the same letters. » Painting came later, “I was 24”. As a logical evolution, he paints on canvas. “I like to master the technique, quietly, in silence, out of sight. And, once you have mastered the technique, why not go outdoors. »
“On a central area, I will put as much detail as possible,” says Jimmy Alcala. And, the more you go to the left and to the right, the more refined the style will be. »
© (Photo NR, Gaspard Mathé)
Another source of inspiration: “When I was a teenager, my parents took me to visit the Alhambra in Granada. Moorish art fascinated me. » To the point of settling, in his late thirties, in Granada. “I immersed myself in this atmosphere. »
In his works, Jimmy Alcala, alias ASU, mixes these inspirations and adds a little bit of the Orient. “I like Persian carpets, floral ornaments… There is something mystical in all that. » He himself approaches his paintings in an almost mystical way.
“I consider each project I carry out to be my last. I set myself the objective of sublimating the previous one and am part of a perpetual search to evolve my art. » Showing a pink flower he is painting: “For example, this is the first time I’ve done one like this. »
This discipline allowed him to exhibit his paintings all over the world. “At the moment, I am in contact with a gallery owner in Miami (UNITED STATES)another in Jordan…” Nothing to go to his head, in Châteauroux, where his family still lives: “I really wanted to paint. » And he’s having a blast. “There are a lot of people passing by, some just to see what I’m doing. And everyone is very nice. »
