Richie Morales
Central Library Bubbler Room
May - June 2017
Born in Guatemala, Richie Morales is a self-taught painter with a deep appreciation for Madison as his second home. For his residency, he held open studio hours every Monday-Thursday in the Bubbler Room in Central Library.
Morales is moved to portray those invisibilized by the deforming and painful impact of social, environmental and economic violence across the world. Perhaps it is so because he himself develops his art under such circumstances to this date. He started to explore painting as a child while working in trades of wood and construction work to support his family.
His mother noticed this passion and put together a home-made encyclopedia of art reusing different articles from magazines she could find around as she worked as a public teacher in rural areas. He cherishes this gift as the door that introduced him to the work of self made painters such as Picasso, Van Gogh, Basquiat, Francis Bacon, Botero and Frida Kahlo.
From an early age, Richie lived with folks from diverse socioeconomic, race and ethnic realities and has felt both, privilege and oppression close to his heart. This has sharpened his sensitivity for power dynamics and the profound need for unconditional love wherever he goes.
He has been an artist fellow at Vermont Studio Center, and an artist in residence for Centro Hispano of Dane County. Richie has exhibited paintings at galleries and community organizations in Guatemala and the United States.
Acerca del Artista
Nacido en Guatemala, Richie Morales es un pintor autodidacta con un profundo cariño por Madison como su segundo hogar.
Le inspira retratar aquellos invisibilizados por el deformante y doloroso impacto de la violencia social, ambiental y económica alrededor del mundo. Tal vez porque él mismo desarrolla su arte bajo estas circunstancias, comenzó a explorar la pintura de niño entre oficios de carpintería y construcción que desarrollaba para apoyar a su familia.
Su madre notando esta pasión le armó un enciclopedia hecha en casa re-usando artículos de revistas que encontraba alrededor trabajando como maestra pública de áreas rurales. Richie atesora este regalo como la puerta que lo introdujo al trabajo de pintores autodidactas como Picasso, Van Gogh, Francis Bacon, Basquiat, Botero and Frida Kahlo.
Desde una edad temprana, Richie ha convivido con personas de diversas realidades socioeconómicas, raciales y étnicas y ha sentido ambos, privilegio y opresión, cerca en su corazón. Esto le ha permitido desarrollar una sensibilidad por las dinámicas de poder y la profunda necesidad de amor incondicional donde sea que vaya.
Ha sido artista becado del Vermont Studio Center, y artista en residencia para el Centro Hispano del Condado de Dade. Richie ha exhibido en galerías y organizaciones comunitarias en Guatemala y Estados Unidos.
Return to the residency archive.
