NT - How would you define yourself in three words?
MB - Hard-working, consistent, and grumpy.
NT - Do you have any memories or anecdotes that have been important in your dedication to illustration?
MB - Probably the first memory related to wanting to draw "well" was the school Christmas card, I wanted to get the prize every time haha. In the end I guess I got itchy and I still do today.
NT - What is your creative process like? And what do you enjoy most about your creative process?
MB - My creative process usually starts with two cups of coffee while I think about the day, the day's commissions, the deliveries, and during that process other ideas usually come up. I usually write them down so that I don't forget them, but I'm not a person who does a lot of sketches, more like sketches and then paint until the light goes out. What I enjoy the most is singing and dancing while I paint, I do it terribly but I love it.
NT - What inspires you?
MB - Almost anything is likely to inspire me but especially music, cinema, seeing exhibitions, also reading things, somehow they set the machinery of my head in motion and even if it has nothing to do with what initially inspired me, they come from there. I start thinking about something that leads me to other things and these in turn lead me to other things.
NT - What role do animals play in your work?
MB - In my work animals are clearly the protagonists, since I was a child I have been very attracted to them, they have always fascinated me and I suppose that in some way this is the way I find to give them the importance they have for me. It's a kind of homage to them, because in the end they are pure creatures, it's us humans who give them positive or negative connotations that they don't really have. In short, I love them and it's my way of giving them their rightful place.
NT - Who are your references?
MB - The names vary according to the period but some names remain, such as De Chirico, Henri Rousseau, David Hockney, René Magritte, Aleksandra Waliszewska, William Blake, James Audubon and recently I was introduced to Walton Ford, who is a marvel. I also take references from some baroque artists such as Juan de Valdés Leal, Caravaggio, Zurbarán, Rubens, especially for still lifes and vanitas.
NT - Which of your works do you feel particularly satisfied with?
MB - I am very proud of a 9 metre mural I did this summer in Barcelona because it was huge and it was a great personal challenge but my favourite works are definitely the ones I do "for me", the ones that go a bit deeper into my head and allow me to experiment and learn from painting, from my limits and abilities.
NT - Where do you want to direct your profession, what do you have in mind in the near or not so near future?
MB - I try not to think about anything beyond what I'm doing at the moment because I tend to be a person who gets easily overwhelmed thinking about the future and forgetting the present, and I think that if you pay more attention and dedication to the moment, the future will always be better than if you focus on thinking about what's to come. I am content with being able to make a living from this always in one way or another.
NT - If you were asked to paint a character, who would it be?
MB - It's complicated as I don't paint people hahaha but it would almost certainly be a woman, all women who have fought for something in their time (so many) deserve any kind of tribute.
NT - Which person/artist/space would you particularly like to work with?
MB - Well, I have never questioned it for the same reason that I don't think about the future, but I would always love to work with people who enjoy my work and want to do things.
NT - Can you recommend a book?
MB - Anything by Raymond Carver, but especially "3 Yellow Roses".
NT - A restaurant?
MB - Olea in Cuenca.
NT - A film?
MB - Anything by Stanley Kubrick but especially 2001 Space Odyssey.
NT - A place?
MB - Aragonese Pyrenees.
NT - A work of art?
MB - "Vanitas" Phillippe De La Champaigne or "The snake charmer" by Henri Rousseau.
NT - When would you wear the clothes you are wearing in the photos?
MB - I would wear them for a dinner with friends, good wine and good conversation. I would also wear them for a Sunday stroll through the flea market and finish with a vermouth. They are very versatile garments that can be worn for everyday wear as well as for something more dressed up, combined with earrings or shoes. I love them.
