Today we’d like to introduce you to Osvaldo Rios.
Osvaldo, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Born and raised in Los Angeles but grew up all over Los Angeles. From Silverlake, Korea Town, Mid-city and Downtown. Growing up I began drawing in my late teens, my early influences were friends and family members. I started early on drawn to the colors of graffiti and its line work. The use of walls and surfaces as a canvas and the visibility and public view really intrigued me. Alongside that, I really enjoyed looking at prison and Chicano art.
As time went by I decided to go into the workforce and try my hand at different occupations and art became something of the past. As time went by I found myself feeling out of place, although happy I felt I was missing something. Along came this job and it required a DSLR for shooting video, so I went out and purchased one.
As time went by I found myself drawn to photography. I found out that many of the basic principles that I learned in drawing as a teen translated over, it was just a different medium. I began taking strolls around DTLA and capturing candid shots. Drawing inspiration from the great photographers like Garry Winogrand, Sam Abel, and Robert Frank.
I began to document DTLA as a mean of understanding the homeless situation that Los Angeles is currently undergoing. As time went by I began to drift away from just homeless people, I didn’t want my pictures to have shock value and “likes” on Instagram, I wanted it to be a complete photograph and work of art. I wanted to be a storyteller a real photographer. I decided to go back to school and get properly educated in the art of photography.
I consider myself a well-rounded artist now not just someone who takes pictures. Photography has allowed me to better understand myself as an artist and human.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I am a photographer, my art is part of my photography but my photography isn’t always art. When I photograph for myself there is an artistic reason and goal behind it. When I photograph commercially it’s for someone else with me trying to get a job done. Two different processes and different outcomes. My art is personal and I try to make it more than just art.
I photograph mostly in Black and White, with film and in digital. I do use color but not as much as black and white. For me, there are less distractions for the viewer and black and white allows the viewer to immerse themselves in the photograph a bit easier. For the film, I use an old Pentax, for digital I use a DSLR. For my candid street photography on both film and digital, I use a 50mm and 28mm lens. This allows me to get into the action and allow the viewer to feel as if they were also there.
I hope with my photography people can take away an understanding of what it is to be human and how we seem to forget that in everyday life. Through social classes, fashion, what we wear what we don’t and even the color of skin there is a separation and in this separation, we seem to lose humanity. By capturing this I hope we can acknowledge it and work individually on lessening that gap.
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
I have a lot of things I wish I would have learned earlier in my career. I would suggest that whatever medium and artist chooses to use, actually learn it from a good source.
Either go back to school if possible, take some classes or find a mentor that you can assist. In an age where anyone can claim to be an artist and with the internet there are a lot of artists who lack the proper fundamentals and proper technique who have created a following in order to monetize their teaching via Social Media.
The internet can be a very bad place to learn proper art technique and there is a lot of bad art out there. The good news is there is always a place for good art. With learning any part patients is a big part. Things progress slow and steady, it’s about enjoying the journey.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Currently, my work is online.
Contact Info:
- Website: def1st.com
- Phone: 3233691350
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_def1st/?hl=en
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
