Featured work by Domenech

I was born in Barcelona in 1952, and come from a working class family. My grandfather together with my father, had a little carpenter’s workshop in the centre of Barcelona. I therefore practically grew up inbetween the wood, furniture, glue, sandpaper and varnishes used in the workshop. This workshop has been the principle source of economy for my family since 1989.

Although I studied, like all the other children in Spain in the 1950’s, all my education was directed to the carpentry trade, following in the family tradition. But I have to say my passions were for art and design and I was not very good at Mathematics and other subjects.

I took drawing lessons (Technical design) from a private teacher who was a close friend of my father, and had in fact taught my father painting when he was younger. He too had a love for the subject. My father had painted at least thirty canvasses and I remember as a child how we used to visit the exhibitions on Sunday evening’s to see his work. This was as routine as our weekly Sunday evening family walk.

When I finished my professional education in wood work I spent some time in the Tarrega Academy where I perfected my drawing and I learned the technique of charcoal drawing. I would draw over and over the shapes of sculptures such as David’s Miguel Angel, Milo’s Venus, Seneca’s head and many more. This learning served a basis for the next three years, where I studied design at the High School of Arts and Crafts in the Masana School, Barcelona.

My professional life as an artist began in 1989, when I left the carpentry business, and dedicated myself full-time to painting. In 1974 I presented my work to the Sala Pares - a prestigious gallery in Barcelona, which was a great opportunity for any young artist under the age of 30. The selection of my work was a pleasant surprise to them, and it stimulated me greatly as it was the first time that any of the public had viewed my work.

In 1985, under the presidency of Juan Antonio Samaranch, I entered a competition that was dedicated to sporting artists (I had a federal license to participate in sporting events in table tennis and mountain biking). The competition was held because Baron Pierre de Couvertein, the initiator of the modern olympic games, wanted to re-create the relationship between art and sports that had existed in ancient Greece. I won first prize in that competition and that award allowed me to introduce my paintings to many art galleries. After this competition came many more like it, as well as numerous exhibitions. I was lucky that just that one painting exposed me to all of that.