Sarah J. Blige

Travel is dangerous

Mario Sánchez Nevado, or “Aegis Strife“, is a mostly self-taught 24-year-old Spanish artist who creates whimsical, intricate, surreal images that often evoke an intense emotional response. Aegis Strife predominantly works with photo manipulation, but also paints (with oils and acrylics), does photography, writes poetry and sings in a band. His work has been featured in a number of different magazines and you can purchase his prints online through deviantArt, RedBubble and Artzprojekt/Zazzle.

Aegis Strife’s art is most often a metaphysical exploration of aspects of the human condition: joy, despair, love, fear, lust, longing. It often examines man’s relationship with nature, and with the supernatural realm. Some pieces are simply aesthetically captivating, but they still move you with as much force as the more emotionally charged or conceptual pieces. Using mostly digital tools, Aegis Strife creates beautiful, powerful images that look like snapshots from fantastical dreams, and sometimes creepy nightmares.

I asked Mario Sánchez Nevado some questions about his personal artistic process.

Ahead on our way

Can you tell me a bit about your process when creating an artwork?

The process I take is almost automatic. Usually I sit in front of the computer and I start doodling, and at one point or another, I “understand” what I am creating and from that moment I know where to lead my steps in that creation in particular. Other times it’s an idea I’ve had in mind for a while and I decide to start a creative process, researching information, sketching, etc. The first kind of work is more emotionally-oriented, and the second kind of work is more conceptual, but I prefer the emotional approach.  So as you can see, every piece has a different procedure. I try to experiment.

What is your greatest inspiration?

I guess my main inspiration, knowing that most of my work is emotional, is my everyday life, how I see it and which reactions it creates in my being. Also, music plays a very important role, so usually I feel inspired by certain melodies and lyrics.

Freedom

I mainly work with photomanipulation, because it’s easier and allows me to get results faster than any other media in the field of creative ideas. I can mix some photos and see if they’ll look good and fit with the concept, and if I don’t like it I’ll just throw to the can a few minutes of my time. On the other hand, if I like what I see, then I’ll spend days or weeks refining everything. I also like painting a lot, especially with oils and acrylics, but it’s hard to work that way if you want real results as an illustrator, knowing that nowadays traditional medias are almost obsolete (sadly) and more expensive (and dirty). But I also prefer to work in mixed media because the appeal of the images is stronger, at least for me.

The god that failed

Do you go through periods of “artist’s block”? If so, how do you deal with it?

Sometimes I have periods in which I start creating images and one hour later I close them because I think they’re useless. Knowing that I work using an automatic way of making things, experiencing a block is a completely random occurrence. It usually comes when I’ve been working in the same style for more than a month and I need fresh air. How do I deal with it? I just let the things flow. If my brain doesn’t want to create anything I just switch it off and do other things until I desire to paint something. It usually works that way.

Interlude

How has your artwork changed over the years, and how has it changed you?

It has changed due to my will of experimentation. I don’t publish everything I do. Most of my published artworks are photomanipulations and digital mixed media pieces, but I work a lot in collages, paintings, photography, found objects, etc. Some of that work is used in digital artworks and the rest remains in my private collection. So, my artworks evolve as long as I try new methods and materials in analogical medias. It’s sounds strange but that’s the way I work .

I can hate you

My digital artwork has changed a lot since I started in 2005, because at first it was plain dark art and it has gone through periods of surreal or almost pop pieces. Every new style you work with leaves a little “something” in you that changes your style when you mix that with other themes and concepts, so it’s ever-evolving, it always changing, sometimes for good, and sometimes for bad, but that’s the risk!

Finding

Retransmission - A comment on the hypocrisy and misdirected efforts of censorship.

Bottom of a lake

See more incredible pieces at Mario Sánchez Nevado’s website: http://aegis-strife.net/wordpress/