We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ricky Macias. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ricky below.

Ricky, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I’ve always been fascinated in art but began taking painting seriously in high school. I had always thought that painting and art history were reserved for much wealthier and privileged people. It wasn’t until I took my first painting class that I discovered that this was something that wasn’t just a past tradition but something anyone could be a part of.

When starting a think it’s good to have fun and go with the flow but when you begin getting serious nothing is more important than having a clear intention and repetition. I also highly encourage exploring other media and disciplines. The more you create the more you star to see the like that runs through all of your ideas and once you find that you’ll know what you’re looking for.

I think the most difficult thing to do is to just start. It’s easy to fall into the trap of waiting for everything to be just right. Having just the right material, just the right space, just the right idea. You’ll end up waiting forever and before you know it you could have already been investigating and evolving that idea. Do the best you can with what you have and don’t wait!

Ricky, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My curiosity in the traditions of visual language and cultural signifiers comes from growing up as the translator for my immigrant parents. As the first born I was given the task of helping my family navigate the American culture. My learning at home at times conflicted with learning at school but it created an openness to differences in ideas and methods. Understanding one’s place in culture leads to an examination of that culture. It allows the opportunity to challenge the societal systems in place that led to specific perspectives and ideologies of that society. In my paintings I pull from various movements and schools of art. Juxtaposing and reappropriating different attitudes, ideologies, and signifiers in order to examine the history of painting and its place in contemporary culture. This is what I strive to achieve in my work, exposing the history and traditions of painting and putting them back up for re-examination and interpretation through the looking glass of contemporary discourse. Learning how to unpack information and finding comfort in the face of ambiguity are essential skills for understanding one’s relationship to their culture. At an earlier time in my life the art world was something that felt inaccessible, economically and intellectually. In a time of class stratification not only does the act of creating become political but so does access to it. My hopes are to make art making and art education more accessible to help bridge the gap from the art world to the everyday person generating dialog around the right for access to cultural literacy and education.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I believe in a time where we consume information faster than ever the best someone can do to support artists is to slow down and be patient. I love the opportunities social media and the internet have given artists but we have to remember that behind the work there is a a human being not a machine.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I used to believe that art school was the only place to further one’s creative pursuit after high school but that’s very inaccessible to a lot of people. If you are serious about a scholarly pursuit of your craft but can’t access a university look for local art classes and workshops being offered near you. I love this approach because these are usually taught by working artists and I’m all about supporting the community. Even if there isn’t much around physically there are always online courses. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. Find what works best for you and enjoy the process.     

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rickymacias.bigcartel.com/
• Instagram: @_rickymacias_