Today we’d like to introduce you to Rianne Elyse Magbuhat.
Hi Rianne, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a child of first-generation parents and growing up Filipino-American has played a monumental role in shaping my life and point of view. From an early age, I was exposed to the arts but focused more on performing than visual. I danced traditional Filipino folk for a Philippine Folk Dance Company, PASACAT. For over a decade, I danced and played piano. These activities taught me stage presence and how to carry myself professionally. My interest in painting started when my parents signed me up for art lessons with a neighbor down the street. Almost every Monday, I would go to her house and sit at her kitchen table to learn about that month’s new medium and artist.
In middle school, I prioritized dancing and didn’t practice visual art much because I couldn’t find the time. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school I began to take art seriously. I injured my writing hand due to sports, and I thought everything was over. I thought that I wouldn’t finish my portfolio, that I had to get a cast, and that I definitely was not in the running for any athletic scholarships anymore. I realized I truly couldn’t see myself doing anything other than art and I wasn’t going anywhere with sports, so I had to shift my focus. No other subjects interested me as much as art did, so I ran with it. Pursuing an art degree in a family of educators and stem majors was intimidating, but I persisted. The phrase, “if you really want something, you’ll find a way to make it happen,” has never rang more true to me than now. In 2018, I hosted an extremely DIY show in my family’s garage. Flash forward a few years later, I’ve been able to intern with a pet portrait company, have painted a few murals, involved myself with different communities, began to blend skating and art together, and will be graduating next May from SDSU with a B.A. in Painting and Printmaking. I am thankful for the support of my family, friends, professors, peers, partner, and everyone in between who has encouraged me to chase this dream unapologetically.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Mentally and physically, I’m generally healthy, but I could be a lot better. Starting college, I had a hard time balancing my time and would work until I burned out. I would overwork myself to ignore the other problems that, in hindsight, I was just too scared to face. At the time, I thought my mental health was solid because I wasn’t coping in the unhealthy way I used to, but habits shift and manifest themselves into other destructive beasts. Recognizing your limits mentally and physically is very important, or you’ll start to resent your work. I am my own worst critic and do exceptionally well at overwhelming myself, as I’m sure every artist is, but I was able to desensitize myself to some of those anxieties by vending at local shows. I was trying to juggle jobs that I didn’t enjoy working, going to school full time, personal work, and maintaining my relationships.
I exhausted myself more times than I could count during COVID, and lacking motivation in general and during the semester on zoom was rough. Academically, I’ve been incredibly lucky to have such wonderful professors and mentors who have encouraged me to engage with art in a multifaceted way. They have passed along opportunities to help me grow, showing me how to create my own path to a self-sufficient career. Lately, I’ve been able to recognize myself in a much more positive light than before. All the struggle has been a learning experience, whether it be learning the hard way that contracts are important or reframing what you feel your worth is. There’s a ton of moving parts and no one has a blueprint for your life except for yourself. Pretty scary, but equally as freeing and exciting. Art has given me more than I could have imagined.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I primarily paint with acrylics or oils, and I love to add collaged elements to my work. I am the proudest of the pieces that I’ve created instead of being destructive towards myself. Those mean the most, even though I never keep any of them. I hope my work resonates with people, even if they don’t fully understand my piece or the intentions behind it. I want my work to bring out emotions in the viewer, something they haven’t considered, something that encourages self-reflection. I don’t mind sharing pieces of myself through art; I’m pretty private but at the same time, not at all. I have always loved the rawness of the impressionists but have started gravitating towards juxtaposing surrealism and pop art.
I want to learn more about developing my own photos, as I was able to take an in-person class during the pandemic that piqued my interest. I am very inspired by nature and the people I surround myself with, and I enjoy alluding to these relationships with non-representational forms. I try to express fleeting feelings and let the viewer interpret the moment for themselves. I have thrown myself into the skateboarding community the last few years and am beginning to blend my passions together, painting decks for friends and recently a ramp at Borrowed Time Farms, where I’m going to spend some time in the coming months. I am interested in exploring the complex relationships between emotions and color through a lens I have shared with the Filipinx community, the local art community, and now the skate community.
Can you talk about how you think about risk?
Through my perspective of nothing ventured, nothing gained, there’s a give and take. I don’t think I’ve taken any really concerning risks, other than agreeing to projects prematurely and feeling underqualified, but you do have to fake it until you make it. Which is another realization I’ve had: no one really has a set “life” plan. There aren’t any rules unless you give them to yourself.
A professor once told me that artists shouldn’t be scared of making big changes to their work. You shouldn’t waste your time with something that isn’t satisfactory conceptually from the get-go because it’s like beating a dead horse and eventually, the piece will spiral. I often change concepts or directions quickly, but I feel like my brain works better that way. I’m trying to trust myself more in this aspect. Taking risks is essential to moving forward because progress isn’t linear, and you have to force yourself to grow through uncomfortable situations.
Contact Info:
- Email: rianneelysemagbuhat@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riaptor/
