Domènech the man
In person Domènech is a calm, pleasant man with a relaxed manner. He says he is an artisan, above all, not boasting about the various awards he has won in artistic competitions. He is simply proud of his honest and sincere work, an attitude that is reflected in his paintings.
Domènech doesn’t follow the world of fashion, and although never wanting to be identified with any particular movements, so many of which fade as quickly a spring bloom, but nevertheless admires and learns from important figures and movements.
Domènech works intensely, painting with pieces of cotton fabric and using his fingers and a graffito bar to outline the shape of the chiaroscuro. He removes instead of adding, he aims for synthesis, to say a lot by doing little; he desires to express affection, love, intimacy, innocence, and he illustrates that with images. The surface of a Domènech painting looks like wood, because of the way he treats his material. In his eagerness to reduce and simplify, Domènech uses a limited colour range of ochre and black. White comes from the background, from the paste used for the preparation of the canvas, and turns into dazzling light after dilution.
All Domènech’s paintings have a natural spontaneity, which shows as much in his still life work as in his figures. Likewise, in his landscapes, he adds a spiritual vision, a mystic interpretation of nature derived from an internalisation of the landscape. Ultimately, it is time and professional craft that are revealed in his finished painting. Pictorial creation is based on constant work, knowledge of technique and materials, although chance discoveries sometimes play a part. Domènech places such creation at the disposal of his audience, allowing the connoisseur to evaluate his work, and find in it the essence of humanity and intimacy translated on to canvas.
The message of Domènech’s paintings is simple but this simplicity comes from the complex methods of their creation. His paintings speak directly to the soul, via the visual and tactile senses. Flat and shining surfaces contrast with rough textures, and the use of chiaroscuro.