DOMINGO ZAPATA
Artist, painter, charmer, and the new Andy Warhol.
Sometimes I ask the universe for signs that everything will be ok. I arrived at the door of his home in Gramercy Park and I looked at the sky and asked for my sign. Everything will be ok, right? Plofffff my heel was stuck in dog shit, OMG!. That was my sign! I would have liked it to be a more glamorous sign but it was ok. I took my boots off right there in the ice and cleaned my heels with the snow. Not a bad way to start the day! I had received my sign and it was perfect!.
Domingo opened the door ”“ I no longer smelled like dog shit- Hello, he said. Hola! I replied. -Are you Spanish? That´s so nice! I didn´t know. Right away we connected.
We sat in the kitchen, he was finishing his breakfast and I had a coffee. It seemed as if we knew each other for ages. He gave me a tour of his beautiful home, his studio, showed me his artwork, painted walls, photos of his children, his doggy, and his new gadgets. Everything was like a real life fairytale.
We sat in the studio for the interview, in between paintings, colors and a lot of light shining through the huge windows.
From the start until the very end he had a huge and sincere smile. His eyes studied me as if he wanted to tell me something. He answered all my questions with his heart and we laughed a lot.
Gentleman, charming, creative, artist, bohemian, warm, passionate, funny, spontaneous, happy, generous, mischievous, full of energy, color and light. Domingo shines!.
Thank you soooo much Domingo for the chat, coffee, the stroll through the most exclusive park and the ginger shot!. We will meet up soon!! I will work very hard to have a Zapata on my wall. I just adore your paintings!!.
THE FAIRY GODMOTHER QUESTIONS
Do you believe in fairy tales?
Yes!.
Red, white, rosé or champagne?
Whiskey!.
Where and when are you the happiest?
Painting in my studio.
What talent would you like to have?
I would like to play an instrument.
Which is your favourite fiction, historical, Disney or fairy tale character?
Mickey Mouse and SpongeBob!. I watch SpongeBob every Sunday in bed with my kids and eat macaroni and cheese.
What makes you laugh?
Lots of things!. I love to laugh!.
What makes you cry?
Injustice, poverty, difficult moments people go through, when people work so hard and things don´t work out for them.
What do you like the most about your friends?
They have a little bit of craziness, sincere and loyal.
What has been your greatest achievement?
Finding myself and knowing what I wanted to do with my life.
What is your motto?
Never stop dreaming!.
What would you like to be when you grow up?
Happy and enjoy life with my family.
A toast to?
Beautiful women! 😉
Do you cook?
Yes, I love to cook. My specialty is paella!
TV or book before sleeping?
TV.
How many alarms do you put every morning?
I wake up whenever I want because I usually work at night. Depends on the inspiration, I don´t have a schedule unless I have something on my agenda. I usually wake up early, I love the morning light, I make breakfast and go for a walk.
Breakfast, appetizer, brunch, lunch or dinner?
All of them! I love to eat ;)!
THE “PIRULA” WITCH GOSSIP
What´s your biggest fear?
Death.
Do you miss someone?
My parents, my family in Spain, Mallorca and my friends.
Something crazy you did or experienced?
Hahahah mmmmm! so many things! You have to be a little crazy to live in this world!
Bad quality that you can stand in others?
Lack of honesty.
Who has given you a life lesson?
My father. He worked so hard to give me opportunities and my mom.
Up or down?
Always up hahaha 😉
Underwear for a girl, black or white?
None 😉
Blonde, brunette, redhead?
Hahaha I don´t care. Depends on the personality!.
What nationality seems sexiest to you?
I´m attracted to personalities. I love women that smile, the spark in their eyes!a world to explore (cracks up laughing).
Do you read your horoscope and do you believe?
Haha Yes.
Thrifty or do you like to spend?
I´m somewhere in the middle.
Poker, roulette or black Jack?
I don´t like to gamble. I don´t find it entertaining.
Something you find disgusting?
Mean people without a heart.
Have you ever stolen something?
Maybe someone´s heart hahaha!
Do you have a price?
Everyone has a price in the end.
Did you cheat in school?
Yes, sometimes!.
Did you fail an alcohol control test?
No. I don´t like to drive.
Have you cried for love?
Many times!
Have you ever woken up thinking, OMG what I have done yesterday!?
Hahahah (in between laughs) of course!.
Which party would you crash?
Years ago I would have crashed many, hahahha. Today I try not to go!.
Did someone disappoint or betray you?
Yes!
Challenge me to something:
Hmmm let me think! Make a portrait and bring it to me!.
I accept the challenge hahaha, but I have no idea how to draw !!!!.
DOMINGO ZAPATA
How do you remember your childhood?
I remember a lovely childhood. I was born in Palma de Mallorca. My parents are from Jaen a town in Andalucía, they moved to Mallorca because of my father´s job. He later retired and started to paint cars and my mother was a tailor.
In Mallorca life is beautiful, the quality of life is just excellent. You have the beach!I had a beautiful childhood without any problems.
When was the first time you had a paintbrush in your hand?
I don´t recall a single day in my life without painting. I helped my mother and father mix paint colors.
I made my first oil painting when I was 8. In school I was constantly painting murals.
First painting you were proud off?
The first one!I made a mural at school when I was 13 it was a guitar and that´s when I said “I want to do this for the rest of my life”
You worked in Wall Street and suddenly your life took a different turn!
While I was in Mallorca I was lucky enough to have some people see my paintings and want to help me improve as an artist. That´s when I enrolled in an English school and obtained a scholarship to study at the London University. Afterwards I moved to NY and when I graduated I told my father I wanted to be an artist. He told me: “What are you going to do? You want to end up painting cars like me?”? – I wasn´t confident that I would make it, so I looked for a job in finance until one day I said -“this is over!” Painting is my passion and that´s what I want to do. That´s when my life changed.
What did you dislike about Wall Street?
Its not that I disliked finance, but art is my passion.
I believe George Soros bought one of your first paintings. Was that the moment when you thought: Wow I made it!
Yes!I had en exhibit at a friends house who has many contacts and they purchased all my paintings. Suddenly all the galleries started calling, that´s when I thought I should give this a serious try! George Soros buying my painting is very important, to have someone like him who has such a beautiful collection buying your art is just wonderful.
Since your first exhibition in 2004, you haven´t stopped! what do the exhibits and shows mean to you?
Yes I haven´t stopped hahaha. It means a lot of work!many hours of study!to make a series of painting requires lots of studying, reading, practice, make many drafts until you reach the final piece. Its very hard and difficult, requires much effort and many hours, I can paint for 16 hours straight, and spend weeks without ever leaving the studio. It´s a huge responsibility because my paintings are expensive and you have to provide high quality.
You paint oil and acrylic!
I do it all! I love oil, collages it depends on the moment.
Do you get many commissions?
Yes. Now I have about 60. Some are portraits, free range, or particular series!
How is going the project TEN? (Painting 10 beautiful women like Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, Sofía Vergara!)
Very good! The project is going well. These women were photographed many times but they were never portrayed in a painting.
You could call the project ELEVEN and paint the only fairy godmother on earth! What do you think?
Hahaha Why not?. The only thing is that TEN are all nudes. The fairy godmother would have to take it all off. Do you dare? Hahaha
I dare to do that and much more!. No one has ever seen my face and now i´m willing to bare it all! It would be an honor, can I pose with my magic wand?
What does painting mean to you?
It means expressing everything that touches your heart, what reaches your soul, what you want to express and the message you want to leave forever.
You have always been involved in one way or another with beautiful women! How do you do it?
(Between laughs) haha I don´t know! I really respect women; you would have to ask them!! I think I´m very honest with women and at the same time passionate and sincere. I think they like that! ;).
Not only women like Scarlett, Angelina, Sofia Vergara!. come to you, but also men like Johnny Deep, Leonardo di Caprio! everyone loves you! How do you do it?
Hahah I dunno I paint and I try to be a good person and a good friend. I have influential and famous friends and some that are not so famous but all of them are good people. I love people!
Going back to the exhibits, is there one in particular that is quite special to you?
An exhibit I had in Los Angeles, that´s when I met Johnny Depp. He started telling everyone to buy my paintings. It was so nice, took place at the Chateau Marmont a very special place for me because I lived there for one year and a half.
Who would you love to paint?
I would have loved to paint Lola Flores and Elizabeth Taylor.
Is there anyone that you would never paint?
Hahaha!. Mmmmm! there is a long list! (between laughs)! I don´t like to paint dull people, with no passion, people that have nothing to offer!
Your best client!
Someone who loves art and that loves it as art and not as an investment. I love selling painting that will be exposed and not locked up. I always say – “I sell you the ones you can hang in your house”.
The new Andy Warhol, incredible, no?
Yes! Incredible (between more laughs) the press has been very good to me. I think it´s an exaggerated comparison, maybe because of my lifestyle and the people I know. However from an artistic point of view I still have a lot to prove and work to be done. It´s an honor but also a huge responsibility.
DaVinci, Mattisse! any favourite?
I love to go back in time and study the masters and try to bring contemporary art. I love to explore Goya, Matisse, Velazquez, Warhol, Basquiat! I like the contrasts, mixes and to create today a combination of the what they did before with new techniques and express everything that goes on in my world.
How have the materials in painting evolved during the years?
It´s much easier now. Before you had to mix pigments! today it´s easier to express yourself.
What´s the message you want to evoke with your paintings?
My paintings have a message of positivity, happiness, I love to paint beautiful things, I have always said that what I intend to create is a more beautiful world, so that others can do it better. I just want to make the world more beautiful!!.
What does your studio have to have so you can work and feel comfortable?
Good light and space, although I have painted in dark spaces!
New York inspires you, women inspire you, what more?
Hahah food!! I love going out to eat and restaurants inspire me. All different type of influences are important for an artist.
What about the project of the Freedom Tower, amazing isn´t it? An honour?
Yes, It´s a great project. I want to do a huge flag, a collage of materials, of all the states in the US, represented in different materials and make the stars of stainless steel, that way when you go in and look at yourself you will see your reflection and you become part of the art.
Would you erase something in your life as you do with your sketches?
No. I don´t regret anything. Maybe I should have believed in myself as an artist much earlier on.
Are your kids following your steps?
They are too young (smile) but they are always running around the studio and painting. Sometimes I let them paint the back of my paintings and I tell the buyer “Hey, you have 2 Zapatas for the price of 1!”.
What would you say to young people that would love to follow your steps?
They need to work very hard, they need to be careful, to be an artist is a career that requires lots of effort and concentration. They need to believe in themselves! Being an artist is good therapy and what I always say – “If you like it, don´t ever stop painting”.
If you look at the mirror, what do you see?
I look at the mirror and sometimes I can´t believe it! I think to myself “What a lucky man” NYC has 50,000 artists trying to make it, I ´ve been very lucky. I thank God every morning and never stop working.
What would be your dreamed fairy tale?
My life is a fairtytale!! I´m very lucky!!!
What would you say to our readers?
Stop smoking! I´m stopping, it´s very bad for you!!.
Thank you so much Domingo!!! I had a great time!.
