Richard Rodriguez - Contemporary Western Art

Every living creature takes possession of its space, a basic gesture that expresses equilibrium
and harmony. The subjects in my paintings are simply part of everyday life in the Great
American West. In the neutral, reassuring setting of our homes, we see them almost without noticing. Along the way, we discover that every presence in this harsh environment is a victory.
My paintings are a language I use to communicate the chasm between the American West,
as Folklore would describe it, and the contemporary Western experience.

Born from immigrant parents fleeing communism, Richard was raised in a Cuban home on Western soil. The first introduction into the American culture was through his interaction with children, playing Cowboys & Indians. Growing up in Colorado gave Richard a historical image of what the West had been, as opposed to the current juxtaposition of what is now the West. Social pressures from an immigrant family led him to leave Art school and finish an undergraduate in Marketing from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Unable to find artistic satisfaction, he continued on to study a Masters in Architecture, at the University of Colorado, Denver. Six years later, Richard rediscovered the liberation of the brush and canvas, and currently works out of his own artist studio in Golden, Colorado.