Meet Ale Ruiz Tostado of ToastedArt in Chula Vista

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ale Ruiz Tostado.

Ale Ruiz, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always been drawing and painting, ever since I was really little, I can’t really remember a time where I wasn’t. When I was seven, my mom met a lady who taught art classes in her home on weekend mornings, so she started taking me there every Saturday until I was about twelve years old when my teacher decided to stop offering classes. We slowly lost touch but I still owe everything to her, I wouldn’t be the artist I am today without her.

I continued with art in high school, I went to a performing arts high school and I learned so much from the teachers there too, I think that’s really where I got the confidence to show my work. I submitted artwork to my very first show in March 2016 in LA, a fundraiser event that celebrates International Women’s Day called VIva La Muxer and it’s good to say I haven’t really stopped showing and displaying work since then. I’ve shown work throughout San Diego and LA, even went to Colorado last year to show work, and recently have been participating in vending events in SD, which is all something seven-year-old me never thought could be a possibility.

Has it been a smooth road?
It has and then it hasn’t haha. It was because I’m lucky enough to have incredibly supportive parents who have encouraged me in every way they can, every step of the way, from taking me to art classes to being at every one of my shows. Also because I have an equally supportive partner that has always been nothing but a huge help with everything, from giving advice to setting up my tent and tables at every show. I think I overall have a really great support system and I don’t know where I’d be without my friends and family’s support. On the other hand, self-doubt and anxieties are continuous struggles for me.

Showing my art with the world is so fun and makes me so happy but it’s just as scary because I see my paintings or anything I create as little pieces of me scattered around a display. It gives a sense of vulnerability knowing that my work is out there to be viewed, critiqued, admired, etc., and that self-doubt really creeps up on you out of nowhere sometimes, but I’m learning that it’s all about knowing you’re going to mess up sometimes and that you’re not perfect, and that’s OKAY.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the ToastedArt story. Tell us more about your work.
I always say I’m an artist. “I’m an artist, and my initials spell art!” But technically speaking, I’m a painter. No other medium makes me happier than painting. I’ve dabbled in all sorts of mediums and I still have a long list of the ones I want to try, but painting gives me a certain calming feeling, or maybe it’s nostalgia from sitting in my backyard and painting and making a mess on a giant paper roll for hours when I was really little. Among other subjects and themes, I paint a lot of Day of the Dead, skulls and women, which basically sums up my entire body of work, haha. Those things are really important and fun and interesting to me and they’re topics with endless interpretations, I feel like I can explore them forever (and I very much intend on doing so).

I don’t like seeing skulls in dark or evil themes, mainly because that’s just not how I view them. I think they can be inspiring and can be represented as something more beautiful, and that sort of stigma they have can be removed. People have asked me if I’m ‘okay’ when they see my art and I think it’s funny. Someone even told my parents they should take me to a psychiatrist because I paint a lot of ‘dark stuff’. I’m always SO grateful that they didn’t listen and understood that what I was painting was just what made me happy, I think they’ve always understood that.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The world of art is constantly evolving and it’s hard to keep up with new names, galleries, organizations, etc., and there are a TON of new artists I see every day, it’s amazing to see how many creatives are out there and social media has a lot to do with that. There are also so many pockets of art communities emerging and it’s great to see them all coming together and collaborating to build more art scenes. We don’t have to move to L.A. or New York to be a successful artist, and not everyone sees that. I think San Diego is gaining a lot of momentum with the arts and we’re getting noticed, which is a-ma-zing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toastedart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toastedart

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