Xavier Plasencia is a fine artist based in Monterey, California. He enjoys painting a range of subjects, including still life, animals, figures, and more in his unique, expressive style. Xavier just had a successful pop-up exhibition at the Garden Room of La Playa Hotel in Monterey, so we thought it would be a great time to invite him to share some inspiration with all of us at Art Makes Us.

AMU: Art Makes Us ___.

Xavier: Vulnerable. Being vulnerable helps us work through our emotions instead of pushing them away.

AMU: Tell us a little about yourself and your art.

Xavier: My name is Xavier and I am an artist. I live in Monterey, California with my partner Gary and my little dog Ethel. My art is a reflection of my emotions. I like to think of my art as layers of emotion on canvas. Each layer of paint on a piece of artwork has a specific emotion attached to it. Sometimes the emotion is intentional, and other times I'll see the emotion after I paint. 

AMU: What’s your favorite medium?

Xavier: My favorite mediums to work with are oils, acrylics, charcoal, and oil pastels. I enjoy being able to bounce back and forth from one to the other. 

AMU: What inspires you?

Xavier: I am inspired by emotions. Moments of joy mostly, but there are times when I've experienced tragedies like death that also have inspired me to create. When you look at my paintings, I want you to feel an emotional connection. 

AMU: What are your artistic goals for the future?

Xavier: My artistic goals for the future are to create something surreal. I've always been fascinated by my dreams and there are a lot of subconscious emotions attached to those dreams that I'd love to explore. 

AMU: What is one piece of art advice you were given that has always stuck with you?

Xavier: Some advice that was given to me in high school art class was to "draw what you see, not what you think you see." I try and remember this one all the time when I begin my paintings. 

AMU: If they made a film about your life, who would play you?

Xavier: If there was a film about my life I would cast Zayn Malik. He's so handsome and i always look up to him for hair inspiration. 

AMU: What famous artist would you love to meet?

Xavier: A famous artist I would love to meet is Salvador Dali. 

AMU: What do you wish you knew when you started?

Xavier: What I wish I would have known when I first started is that art can be whatever you want it to be. YOU are the creator. 

AMU: What’s your favorite color?

Xavier: My favorite color right now is a pink. As a young boy I never got to enjoy the color pink. Now is my time. 

AMU: If you had an artistic superpower what would it be?

Xavier: My artistic superpower would be that everything I paint moves on the canvas. I would create paintings that would come to life!

AMU: Where can people go to see your work?

Xavier: Right now some of my artwork is on my instagram @xcoast.