On the 28th and 29th of March we visited the studio of Josep María Codina in Mataró. The Friday visit took place in the afternoon, and continued till it was fully dark! With some nice drinks and snacks and a group of in total 6, the atmosphere was intimate and a lot of questions were asked and answered. We started with the early works, going back to the first self-portrait in 1974 and saw all the different periods Josep María has gone through in his last 30 years as an artist. From a realism style to his current work have passed many years and many events that impacted his life. At the end all of us went home with a deep respect and understanding of the artwork and the artist.

The Saturday visit was turned into a family event, with in total 9 people, including 4 children, that even built their own workshop and started producing artwork, feeling inspired by the studio and the works shown to all. We all browsed through many works and there were lively discussions on the techniques used and the impact that life has on artwork.

Many nice feedback was received and one I would like to share, as it very well expresses the essence of the studio visits.

I really liked this studio visit as well. A different artist, with another technique, other style, but again interesting to see. You can see how the artists’ work very hard on their works, their doubts, and the way they evolve from one point and end up somewhere else. See their tools, their palette with big piles of paint, the spots on the floor, as signs of their struggle, the lines on the floor to indicate where they have to continue painting the next day to ensure they get the same perspective, the smell of the acid from the iron boards..all adds an extra dimension to their art. Thank you!