Adrià Valencia, talent of airbrushing who emigrates

We interviewed Adrià Valencia, a young professional airbrush artist who, for lack of interesting offers in Spain, decided to pack, like many other young people in the country, and emigrate to the United Kingdom, where he works as an airbrush painter in a specialized motorcycle workshop.

Despite his youth, his curriculum is full of experience in the sector:

 

Good morning Adrià! Thank you for collaborating with us and giving us part of your experiences.

Professionally, how do you define yourself ?: 

Perfectionist, nonconformist and constant. Let's say that since the world of painting began to interest me, I have always tried to improve myself, and here I continue day by day trying to find a way to optimize the maximum results in all disciplines, from welding, to ironing, and ending in my strong, painting and its variants.

What prompted you to make the leap to the UK ?:

I have always been a lover of two wheels and I am passionate about working in a way that is close to the client, making their means of transport or their weekend toy look the way they want. After projects of weeks, and even months of work, seeing the satisfaction of the owner when he goes out the door or sends photos of his machine to magazines in the sector, naming the workshop where it has been prepared, rewards all the effort, and in Spain we have a problem; the situation of ITVs in this country, makes this type of work less common and then, obviously, Spain is suffering a harsh professional repression due to the economic crisis that makes employment not available to everyone and that we love. make a place for ourselves in the world of workshops, it is very difficult for us to start, having to accept job insecurity or seek new alternatives. I did not know what to do or what I wanted, but I was clear about what I did not want, so, since I knew a little English, it seemed the most sensible thing to do.

Given your youth, you can explain why you have to change your place of residence to be a good professional who earns a living from his work. What are we missing here ?:

Each country is different and it is well known that to become a good officer you have to work hard and learn from good officers. I think that without a doubt in Spain there are very good, very versatile and eager to transmit their knowledge. But given the situation presented by experts, shop managers and clients, they are in many cases lacking time or motivation; in my case at least, that I have not been lucky enough to be able to work in many places in Spain. So if you had to bring me something from England, it would be the business philosophy, there is work, but above all, people change a lot of companies and that means that in a few years you will gain a lot of experience and secure a job in the sector.

Was it difficult for you to find a job, how long did it cost you and what did they value you ?:

 

The truth is that I already sent a resume from Spain, and a motorcycle workshop offered me to start there, they were just going to open the painting section and my conditions did not turn out to be an impediment. When I arrived and saw that the country was working well and there was work, I decided to look for something better and it took me about a month to find my current job. After 2 interviews in multi-brand workshops I decided on a motorcycle workshop where they highly valued that he was a biker. That I had a video curriculum was what caught my managers the most, and that I was interested in urban subcultures and world trends, was the final passport. The company is quite famous in terms of quality, so customers are looking for something else, and it is common to arrange visits with them, there are people who ask for the day off to see how they paint their motorcycle, they like to have a close deal and be advised It really shocked me at first.

Is the professional's level of knowledge similar in Spain and England? Are the technical resources and knowledge similar?

 

In England everything is more focused on the standard, therefore it is difficult to see that any painter knows how to uncover a door or take out a bun. Obviously here we are officers from all over the world, in my company we are 7 painters and only 3 are English, but the natives are very squared, they do not touch anything unless they have done the previous course and taught that specific model. So I appreciate much more the work of the Portuguese and Polish Spanish officers. For example, for me, varnishing a side in which you only have to know how to mount the gun and follow the company's application rules (turns of the trigger regulator, pressure, mixing proportions etc ...) and having all the equipment within reach, good lighting bulbs that emulate sunlight automatic booths, pistols against static electricity, micrometer ... Anyway, there is very little room for human error and the trial-effect progression of which I am a supporter, so in technical quality I prefer Spain and in terms of equipment and tools ... Europe.

Is the world of personalization (tuning, airbrushing, design and color combinations) equally appreciated in the two countries ?:

Obviously this depends a lot on the sector. Tuning died thanks to itv and fashion changes. I did not live that era in the automotive industry, so I am increasingly classified in the world of Custom, Harley motorcycles and especially classic English Café Racers such as Norton, BSA, Royal, Enfield, Triumph, etc. Followers of these styles have the same tastes around the world and customers who demand custom helmets and tanks are highly influenced by the culture and aesthetics of the country. Although they differ little, they are not such distant countries.

What do you appreciate and attract the most in your sector, creativity or specialization ?:

I think this is highly variable. Here in England the well-resolved classic triumphs with unbeatable quality. On the contrary, in Italy, Spain or France, quality is sacrificed a little more for more specific work or a more sustained price.

In principle, are you looking for high-quality products for your work or do you use what a standard supplier offers you ?:

 I am very lucky to be in a company with 4 workshops, so consumption is very high. The annex company has a good stock and an employee replenishing it weekly. There is everything, and as it is consumed it is replenished, so each painter chooses what he likes the most, in addition England has the advantage of the coin, it is very strong now so the material seems more affordable.

If you value using high quality products, are they easy to find in the market or do you have to resort to very specialized shops ?:

 

England is tremendously rooted in internet shopping and daily delivery, prices in this sector are more than studied so there is little difference, and they are the same throughout Europe, more or less.

Thank you Adrià, for showing us a new vision of the sector. Good luck and we hope to see you again, maybe when you return to Spain.