Ruben Dario-A Portrait of an Artist

1. What initially drew you to the world of painting, and how has your journey evolved since then?

My grandmother got me into painting. She gave me my first painting kit when I was 5 years old. It included 5 brushes, aqua color and tempera. She said, “Let's see what you can do with this”.' Just like if it was some sort of a challenge. It was a very special gift considering the fact that we did not even have money to buy shoes.

When I got the kit, I did not want to paint a car nor the little house on the prairie as the other kids would have done for their first painting. I went big. I painted Tutankamon's face. My grandmother proudly hung it in her little bar. She would show it to her customers saying: “this was made by my 5 year old grandson, can you believe that?!”. Everybody would compliment my painting skills.

Ever since I was born, my grandmother would treat me differently than her other grandchildren. She was very outspoken about how special I was. Everybody in the family would always repeat the same story of my grandmother taking me out of my mothers arms just after my birth. She started blowing air on the top of my head and said: “You’ll be big my Ruben Dario, you will be big”. She had already picked my name leaving nobody any other option to name me differently. Ruben Dario Carpio was her long time lover who died in a car accident just before I was born.

I grew up in a very harsh environment. Art was not considered to be a career option. I remember being beat up by my father for making drawings. He told me to focus my attention on something more profitable. During that period, my grandmother provided a safe space to learn and develop my skills. One of her good friends was an artist and offered to teach me on a regular basis. These two women taught me to embrace my inner artist and transform personal struggles and turn them into something beautiful.

My life has always been about surviving, I chose a regular career and I used painting as a way to cope with the challenges of life. Painting was always on the side. Last year, I realized that life is too short to wait for good things to happen. That is when I decided to take responsibility for my own life and started pursuing what I have always wanted to do. I quit my regular job and went to Amsterdam to explore my artistic skills professionally. This has really been a turning point in my life.

I strongly believe that it is better to regret something you did than something you didn’t. I finally am brave enough to follow those words that my grandmother whispered in my ear. I am convinced I have something to show to the world, a capacity to create, evolve and reinvent. I am positive, feel responsible for my own success, and I’m willing to work hard for it.

 2.How do you navigate challenges or creative blocks during the painting process?

Everytime I start with a piece, a series, or a new style, I try to focus on the story that I want to tell and what it means to me.

I usually try to not overthink too much while I work. I let the art direct me instead of the other way around. Sometimes I do feel blocked and then I try to experiment with ways to make my compositions different from what other artists have done. Also, I like to write. No matter how crazy my ideas are, I write them down. Nothing is off the table. Later, I use those texts or fragments of them as a base for new pieces or series.

3.What emotions or messages do you aim to convey through your paintings, and how do you ensure that your audience connects with them?

Typically I try to capture a moment or a feeling that I experienced in life, or a message that I want to share with people. I used to be a linguistics college professor, so for me, art feels like an alternative language to communicate and express our feelings.

I have used my work on art to transform life struggles into bright meaningful episodes in my life, by putting them down in paint on a canvas and making beautiful pieces out of them. It was kind of a way for me to say, “See? it was not that bad after all”, always trying to look at the positive side of things.

Lately I notice that I’m less led by the past but more inspired by the future. I am very aware that, despite all the challenges that you may have in life, you are responsible for your own happiness. I love to use my art as a tool to help people to come to the same realization. I am a strong believer that life pays you back for what you give to the people around you and therefore I try to focus on messages that can help people in their self acceptance and personal growth.

My audience should be intrigued. I hope to spark their imagination and give them space to create their own reality and story based on what they see. The different use of materials, textures, vibrant colors, unusual geometric shapes help me to achieve this.

The manipulation of all kinds of materials that I use, in combination with the use of unusual color combinations and dreamlike scenes, have helped me create full compositions that spark the viewer's interest and curiosity. That is the way I make sure there is an instant connection with my pieces.

 4 Can you share your inspiration behind the artwork exhibited at Art Expo New York 2024?

The New York City ArtExpo was my first show ever and I wanted to bring something different and refreshing.

In my previous paintings I tried to communicate struggles and experiences that I had been going through in life. This time, I wanted to bring a positive message instead. Instead of worrying about what people think of us, I think that we should care more about what we give to the people around us.

In my latest series “The Introspector”, I talk about the great gifts that we can give from one human to another. The qualities that give us humanity: Love, Hope, Peace, Kindness, Friendship, Gratitude, Power, and Willingness to keep going.

Initially I created this blue character for my works that were based on processing my inner journey in life. The character evolved and now “the Introspector” is giving. The face is intentionally expressionless because the emotion should show on the person who looks at the painting, the receiver. “The Introspector” communicates with its eyes and uses hand gestures to underline his message.

The tridimensional shapes on the pieces were initially inspired by the iconic aerial views of the skyscrapers of NYC. During the process they represented the impact that life has on us and the ups and downs of the decisions that we make in life.

It is beautiful to see how the height differences in the canvas can impact the shape of the face but each time it turns out to be strong enough to maintain its identity.

To me this is also a representation of how life and circumstances have an impact on how we grow up, yet we always are responsible for who we want to be in life.

The expo has truly been a great experience. Seeing people’s reactions to my work was very invigorating. Also, hearing how people thought my work was totally different from anything they had seen over the years, gave me a sense of validation as an artist and an incredible energy boost. It is definitely a catalyst to explore all the ideas that I already have for the future and I really can’t wait to show and share all that is to come.