Alex Rios seems to be everywhere.  He’s showing paintings at Nino’s Italian Restaurant as part of October First Fridays, he has a piece in SoundWalk2010, and will soon be opening a solo exhibition of his recent sculptural work at Exhibit [A] Gallery on Pine Avenue. He’s a regular participant at the 2nd Saturday Art Walk, and will be participating in the Justin Rudd’s Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest on October 23rd. As I said: Everywhere!

I started our conversation by asking him why people connect with his work.

Alex: I think a lot of people can relate to my work because of the imagination factor.  I’m not afraid to follow my ideas wherever they lead me.  I’m excited about the things I paint and I think people can relate to that.

Sander: It does seem that  you explore many different styles. Do you categorize them?

Alex: Not really.  I don’t want to set a bad example for people.  [laughs]

Sander: It is true that people like to put things in small little boxes, but that helps them to make sense of things.  As an artist, is that problematic?

Alex: Overall, no.  That is the way we solve problems.  We have to identify what it is we’re dealing with.  As an artist, it is problematic, however, because often change isn’t generally welcome.  Being put into a box can stifle and limit creativity if you’re not willing to break through that boundary.  There is a lot of risk there for an artist.

Sander: How do you deal with that challenge?  How do you continue to take that risk?

Alex: In one word, fearlessness.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s not an outward act of bravery or courage.  It’s more of an inner assuredness that things are just going to work themselves out, a compulsion to keep making things.

Sander: When I saw your work at Nino’s, there were what I think you called ‘butterfly’ paintings.  You also had paintings featuring your assemblage robot.  At first, I thought they were by two different artists.  To me, it showed that you are constantly thinking about things in different ways, and not stuck, like many artists are, in working, thinking, or seeing in the same way.

Alex: Thank you.  I’d like to [think] that about myself, too.  I think it would be truer to say that I’m still growing, still learning new things as an artist.  Alot of my favorite artists have 25 to 30 years on me in age, and I’d like to think that all those years can be spent continuing to learn.

Sander: How did you get started in art?

Alex: I spent a lot of time alone as a kid and my mom wouldn’t let me watch much tv.  I always had a strong imagination and there was a big part of me that wanted to see the ideas I was having take shape in some form.  Drawing was the first medium that allowed me to do that.  After that, there wasn’t really a whole lot that moved me the way that art could.  In high school I started doing watercolors and, because of my interest, my mother got me a private art teacher (Jaqui Von Honts).  She taught me anatomy, the processes and the technique to become a successful painter.  Been painting ever since.

Sander: Aside from drawing and painting, are there other media that you’ve been interested in?

Alex: For the last few months, I’ve been welding metal sculptures which are the focus of my new solo exhibition, Robots and Butterflies.  I have also been reluctantly dabbling in a bit of graphic design.  I’ve done monoprinting, screenprinting, photography, and ceramics, but I truly am in love with the romantic nature of painting, and find more of my identity within that medium than any other, so far.  Aside from that, I’ve always been interested in movies, but I think I’ll leave that to the professionals.

Sander: What is it about painting that you so connect with?

Alex: I think the honestly and the straight forward nature of painting is what draws me to it. You build the frame, you stretch the canvas, and you make your make your mark on it.

—

To find out more about Alex, visit his website: AlexRiosArt.com.  October First Fridays is this Friday, October 1st.  SoundWalk2010 takes place on Saturday, October 2nd.  For a complete list of cultural and artistic events taking place in October, visit GlobalLB.com.