- Úrsula Mascaró
- Artist
I meet Ursula in Santa Anna, her home on Menorca.
It’s raining cats and dogs, so we sit at the large wooden table in her
colourful, cosy kitchen. Blondie, the house cat, strokes around me, not
sure if she wants to trust me.
There are paintings of Ursula on the walls, photos of her children and
notes on the fridge. Ursula looks relaxed, no make-up, big black glasses,
loose hair. She is currently preparing her third exhibition, “hidden
treasures” in Madrid.
Ursula was born and raised in Menorca, and after studying fashion design
in Milan, she was the creative head of the family business for 35 years,
responsible for the Mascaró, Ursula Manscaró and Pretty Ballerinas
divisions. She is a globetrotter, bringing ideas and inspiration with her
from all over the world, which are reflected in her creations. But all that
travelling, tight time management and living out of a suitcase took their
toll. She decided to turn her back on the fashion world and the pressure
and take more time for her three children and herself. It was a difficult
decision for her, but now she finally has the opportunity to devote herself
fully to her passion, painting. Ursula is self-taught, even as a child she
preferred museums to playgrounds, drawing, pottery and experimenting
with different materials. Ursula lives and works in Madrid, but comes
frequently to Menorca, to spend time with her mum, her friends and by
the sea. When she talks, you can feel her passion, even see it, as she
gesticulates a lot, her facial expressions are lively.
Unida positivo & negativo was your first exhibition in Madrid, you chose expressive, strong colours and symbols such as plus and minus, what do they symbolise?
The positive and the negative form a unity, they belong together. With my choice of colours, I can express my feelings.
The neon green of my paintings, mixed with a dark bottle green, show the powerful connection that confronts us with the challenges (neon green) of life and the hope (dark green) of being able to overcome them.
Red stands for motherhood, infinite, true love, but also for loneliness and pain.
Fuchsia represents earthly love, a luminous and magical colour that draws you in, dazzles you, you see only its merciless beauty and fall for it.
Blue symbolises the serenity we long for so much, even if the search for it sometimes frustrates us.
Black, the unity of all colours, the infinite potential of the cosmos, sometimes we see better in the dark.
Pink, for the foetus in the womb, symbol of the miracle of life, but also associated with fear, such as the fear of the risks of birth.
White, symbolises purity, light and innocence.
You also have a series lgbtq in your exhibition unidad, why?
As a reminder not to take anything for granted, here in Europe we are free, we can be who we are, we can show what we think and feel, this is not the case in all countries. For example in Senegal, where I was recently.
Ursula, your exhibition “Casi monocromo” took place in Menorca.
Aquamarine: symbolises the longing for the sea.
Gold: symbolises the divine in general, is a connection to life, the earth, the light, abundance and wholeness. Yes, it is my homage to Menorca, my home.
What was it like for you to show your paintings “at home”, in an environment that knows you as a successful entrepreneur and is now getting to know you from a different, more vulnerable side?
Of course it was and is important to me to be accepted by “my people”, but that must not be my guiding principle, I don’t want to think about what other people might think about me, I want to listen to myself, otherwise I will never succeed in finding my way. I want to set my own focus.
Of course, the opinions of my children, my mum and my friends are important to me. I listen, of course, but in the end I decide what I take on! When I paint, I don’t really listen to anyone, not even myself, which may sound weird, but when you compose, write or paint you are in a trance, in meditation, you give up control to the universe and express what you want to say, you are in the flow. That’s exactly how I feel!
„we discuss metaphysics a lot, these conversations help me, inspire me."
What is you favorite place on the island?
I love the beaches, the sea, I love going to the beach late in the afternoon, slowly watching the sunset. I like the sound of the sea, so infinitely peaceful, relaxing.
Your favourite beach?
Binigaus, Son Bout, I like the big beaches, the vastness, then I have more space. But hey, every beach is perfect as it is. That’s what I miss when I’m somewhere else. Menorca is our magnet, it always draws us back.
What is your source of inspiration?
That depends! Often when meditating, or after challenging asanas in shavasana. Then when my thoughts are empty, when new space can arise again.
I always have a pen in my bag, I write down my thoughts so that I don’t forget anything, I transfer my feelings and thoughts onto the canvas. My art is communication on canvas.
Who are your favorite artists?
I love Diego Velázquez and spend a lot of time in the Prado to admire his work and I so love the singer Rosalía, she is fantastic. Camille Claudel, Frida Kalo, Kandinski, Louise Bourgeois, Wiliam Turner, Francis Bacon and Miquel Barceló fascinate and inspire me a lot.
Which book are you reading in the moment?
A course in miracles.
“Hidden treasures” is the title of your exhibition, which you will be showing in Madrid on 29 November, what does the title mean?
It’s about the hidden. About the hidden treasures that we all find within us.
How many paintings will you show?
50 paintings.
Do you feel more grounded since living in Madrid? How has Madrid inspired you?
Here I make the decisions, that’s what it’s all about. I have control over my time management, not always, but most of the time! I can finally set my own pace, my own rhythm.
Sure, there’s still pressure from outside, certain obligations, but I’m in control now.
So in Madrid you’re breathing again?
Laughs and says: YES!!!!!!!!! There are many things to do that are stressful, but I let it flow, I do it my way. Everything is connected.
Do you feel under pressure from the art world?
No, the pressure only comes from myself.
What about expectations?
It may sound strange, but I have a group of female friends, we discuss metaphysics a lot, these conversations help me, inspire me. During these intense conversations I realised that I have to show what I am doing. I feel obliged to share my concepts.
I have a lot of concepts that I want to pass on. Concepts that I think are worth showing and discussing. Nowadays we spend more and more time looking after ourselves. We question ourselves and society, study philosophical concepts. In my paintings, I explore my feelings and femininity, an important topic that I am dealing with now and that has been neglected for a long time. All the more so in a world that is still dominated by men.
You could say I have a lot of catching up to do, because in the fashion world, where I worked for so long, I wasn’t able to address many things. Metaphysics helps to understand. I had a lot of problems, especially back then when I thought I had everything under control but in reality I had nothing under control, sometimes you have to go with the flow, let go. I had so much self-doubt when I sold my shares in the company, I suffered.
Are you well connected in the art scene?
I visit a lot of exhibitions, go to galleries, know a lot of people from the fashion world and build up my network step by step. But I do everything myself, organise my exhibition, contact those who I think might be interested in my work. It’s not easy, because I prefer to just paint. But I don’t have a gallery to represent me yet, but who knows, maybe one day soon. I think every artist goes their own way and things will fall into place.
Do you make sketches of your paintings?
(Ursula shows me her sketchbook for hidden treasures. Again very strong expressive colours).
I love the colours of Africa, I love this continent, so beautiful, so inspiring, so colourful. I believe in the world as One. I know it may be a dream world, but the world should be one, otherwise it all makes no sense. I believe in Universal Consciousness. Let’s end our conversation with these words of hope …
I think this is a wonderful final sentence!