I always wanted to do a Tight painting after the Loose Fit series was completed, which was about putting a large canvas on a smaller frame – a bit like skin hanging out when somebody loses weight very quickly. Tight is the opposite; the canvas becomes so tight that it creates tension, and starts breaking on the sides or wherever it can to find release. Tight is like a drum, one can almost play it; or a tight fist; yet it is a painting and you look at it. It’s an unsettling experience. The colour of it has to be a very bright, primary colour. In this case, it is painted yellow and a paler yellow. Tight is composed of two stretchers. The larger frame stretches the canvas, so it can be very tight. I think all of this work belongs to a Transit series that I have focused on for 2 years. Each Tight is unique. The work is as aesthetically pleasing as it is silently tense.

The smell is part of my work, so you can feel that is a painting. My studio is full of strong painting smells and fumes. For me the studio is like a laboratory where my work is created. The smell sometimes is too overpowering for me so I have to stay away but close enough. I identify painting with the smell of paint. I am very interested in every part of the painting process and the smell is one of them.

Ángela de la Cruz