Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Ruiz.
Katie, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My story as an artist began when I was very young. I took my first art class around the age of 6. It was a chalk pastel class and I loved everything about it. I was hooked. I started drawing still life stuffed animals and learning to draw from photographs. Since I can remember I have loved to draw, paint, sculpt and make crafts.
In high school I had an amazing art teacher named Mr. Murphy. He was the first person who planted the seed in my head that I could be an artist. From that moment I dove into it. I went to Northern Arizona University for my bachelor’s degree. When I came back home to California it was during the recession and I could not find a job in my field. I struggled for years between doing what I love and doing what I needed to do to make a living. I have worked as a waiter, a cashier, a caregiver, a case manager, a teacher, a makeup artist, a nanny and many more just to support my art.
In 2012 I got into Graduate school in NYC on a full scholarship. I moved to NYC to pursue my dream of being an artist. I went to the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting & Sculpture. This school changed my life. Unlike most graduate programs, our school had a rigid schedule of 5 days a week in the studio. We started each morning with 4 hours of painting from a live model. In the afternoon we did 4 hours of drawing from the model. In the evening we had critiques or lectures that lasted around 3 hours. 12 hours a day, 5 days a week invested in your craft will change the way you see and work.
I made friends and learned the art world. I navigated my way through galleries, art fairs and curating my own shows. The teachers and peers I met in NY were some of the most driven and brave people I have ever encountered. I stayed in New York for 4 years. The last year I had some health issues and my father passed away. I decided to move home to be closer to family. When I came home I had to find the art world again. I had to re learn everything about the artists and the galleries and residencies here.
What I realized when I came back is that there are a ton of great artists here in San Diego who are not getting the recognition they deserve because there are not enough contemporary art galleries and platforms here in San Diego who are showing emerging and mid-career artists.
One day I was doing makeup for a photoshoot and we were driving around little Italy scouting locations when we drove by this little house on India St. Later I went back and when I walked in I knew this was the place for me. I envisioned a gallery in the front with wood floors and white walls. The back has three rooms so I immediately thought to turn those into art studios. I knew it was a risk I had to take and I rented the place the next week. Over the last few month since November I have been working hard to get the gallery ready.
My idea is to show artists I know from New York and merge them with artists here in San Diego. I want to help merge the gap in the art world and build bridges that help artists get more opportunities. I have matched several artists in two and three person shows for the whole year. Currently up at Vivid Space SD is two artists, RH Levinson who I met at the New York Studio School (NYSS) and Robert Andrade. Levinson currently resides in Los Angeles. Their show “Edit Settings” is up on view until April 30th. We are currently open 1-6pm Fridays and by appointment. Both of their work focuses on urban settings and they both use computers to make their work. Levinson draws on iPads and has printed her work on silk, metal, glass and rice paper while Andrade uses 3-D printers to build sculptures out of plastic, he brings other elements in such as mirrors, metal work and cement.
The next show “Geometric Milk” will open April 28th 6-9pm featuring the work of San Diego artist, Melissa Walter and New York artist, Lexi Campbell. They come together to display quiet works that encourage you to connect with them closely. The day of the opening reception is in conjunction with Art Walk in Little Italy.
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 consider this gallery an art project in a way. I am learning each artist and gathering information about how and why they make art. In a way this curation is my art project at the moment. However, I also paint, weave and sculpt.
Primarily I am most well-known for my blanket paintings. Colorful, Geometric patterns and bright colors are reiterated throughout my work. Relationships play a strong role in my paintings. Couples are often depicted together or with natural forces such as water, winter or pathways pulling the couple together or further apart. I started painting people under blankets in New York because I was interested in the way people act when they share a blanket. It is a very intimate space where couples communicate. Then they go out into the world and have to act different and put on a brave face. Blankets are used by children to create tents and play, some cultures bury their dead in blankets, we use them to keep us warm and to feel safe, weavers weave their stories into the blankets, and Textiles are one of the oldest form of art.
The patterns that are primarily derived from Latin American textiles. As a xicana woman I want my culture to be included in my work so I studied Mexican textiles. I did an artist residency in Oaxaca two years ago and learned traditional back strap weaving. While there I learned the symbolism woven into the blankets. The blankets often tell narratives about the weaver’s life, culture and Puebla. Recently, I have been taking the weaving and using them to make soft sculptures that are about being a woman and about the me too movement.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
To me success is based on how hard I work. Being an artist takes discipline. It’s not easy to go sit in your studio and make work when you know its sunny outside, the beach is close by, your friends are having a BBQ, it’s your cousins birthday, your car needs an oil change, you have a paper to write and on and on. It’s about showing up for your craft. It is not your arts job to support you. It is your job to support your art.
You are only a painter if you paint. You are only a sculptor if you sculpt, you are only a writer if you write. You just have to get in there and make the thing. It’s not always your job to like it. It’s just your job to make it. Just get in there and make the thing! That’s number one. Then ask people whose work you like to look at your work and get a critique. Learn to talk about art. Learn how to talk about your work. Brush up on art history and use it to your advantage.
Most importantly, be ok with failure. Apply to everything you can and don’t worry about the rejection. I have a folder of rejection letters I keep and every time I get another rejection I laugh! It’s funny! You are never going to please everyone. If you apply to a show and you don’t get in that is one or two people’s opinion about your work. It’s not a representation of everything. It’s just personal taste. If you don’t try, you will never know. You have to give yourself the opportunity to fail that’s the brave part.
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?
It is now available to be seen at Uncommon Goods Encinitas located at 1010 South Coast Highway. My work will be up through August.
Contact Info:
- Address: Vivid Space SD
2420 India St.
San Diego CA 92101 - Website: www.katieruizart.com www.vividspacesd.com
- Phone: 760-330-7865
- Email: katie@vividspacesd.com
- Instagram: @katieruizart @vividspacesd
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatieRuizArt/
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/Vividspacesd/
Image Credit:
In my profile pic the “Blobs” artwork by KC Tidemand
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