Today we’d like to introduce you to Ricardo Harris-Fuentes.
Hi Ricardo, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in LA but grew up bouncing around California and Latin America until I was twelve and my parents moved to the East Coast, with stops in Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, Santa Cruz, CA, Bakersfield, Boston, New York City, and Washington DC, to name a few. I used to joke that my parents were fugitives, but when I think about that statement a little, it starts to seem more appropriate than I realized at the time. I got an undergraduate degree from Amherst College in Massachusetts, but I always knew I was an artist. I started drawing before I could talk, which I have proof of in the form of a small sketch of a bus on a postcard that my mom saved from when I was three. After college, I moved to New York City and began working in the blue-chip art world, but quickly realized that I was really meant to be an artist and not an arts professional. I then took classes at the New York Studio School and went live in Italy for a couple of years after New York. When I was in Italy, I started to get the feeling that I needed to study art back in the US with a focus on contemporary art practices, so I came back and attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I loved the school but hated the cold and vowed never to freeze again, so I moved to LA. I wanted a more glamorous art scene with a warm backdrop. I had done my time living in small boxes in New York and I was fascinated by the myth and myth-making that was Hollywood. Although the shine has faded a bit, I still love LA and believe its tinsel lies.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth road? Hahahaha I once read a book called “The Obstacle Is the Way”, which sounds a lot like my journey as an artist. Today in addition to being an artist, I teach art at Cal State LA. One of the main lessons that I impart to my students is the importance of failure and the gift of desperation. And perhaps most important, never give up and keep coming back! I applied to grad school four times before finally getting in. My list of rejections is probably ten times longer than my list of awards and achievements, but I think that is a good thing. I learned in a professional development workshop that you should measure the vitality of your creative process by the number of rejections you collect on a yearly basis. I like that! I have struggled financially, emotionally, creatively, socially, and every way in between, but it has almost never been without its own gifts and life lessons. In the studio, more often than not, my failures are the signposts of where I will go next with my paintings.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I make quasi-psychedelic black light and light-sensitive paintings that are inspired by my experiences with Shamanic Journey work and Buddhist Meditation. I try to make paintings that offer an enveloping experience, a journey if you will. To my knowledge, I have not ever seen anyone working with black light and light-sensitive pigments in the way that I do. I think that the materials I use are uniquely suited to communicate the ideas in my work and on my better days I can articulate this connection in a way that is compelling and potentially life-changing. One of the most attractive qualities of LA for me has been the imperceptible creative energy that perfumes the air here and I try to capture this vibratory energy in my paintings. LA is the land of dreams and dreamers. It is the collision of East, West, and South culturally and as such it offers a unique vision for the world. I want my paintings to be the distillation of this energy.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Never give up! Keep coming back! And believe in some hippie higher power energy shit to see you through the dark days! Write a story in your mind that you are a magical hero supported by countless hidden angels and spirit guides. See them all around you helping you as you go about your journey, and then get to work! Your life is a gift, as are you, so share it with the world in whatever way feels right to you.
Pricing:
- Small paintings $1500
- Medium paintings $5000
- Large paintings $10,000
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ricardoharrisfuentes.com
- Instagram: @ricardoharrisfuentes
