Gomez, Richard

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"Frida" (oil on panel)

"Before the Storm" (oil on panel)

"Escapulario" (oil on panel)

"La Sombra" (oil and spray paint on wood)

"Decolonize" (oil on wood)

Artist Statement

My current work explores the many dynamics of Public Art and how community engagement dictates the experience and models the outcome. It is my intent for the subject matter to promote cultural traditions reflective of the community, resulting in a sense of ownership and unified identity. My work aims to address and change rooted stereotypes and visual clichés of culture and identity of the traditionally marginalized.

Biography

Richard Gomez is a Chicano artist and professor who follows in the tradition of the Great Masters, specifically those of the 19th century Realists. His philosophy on art reflects his many influences; he teaches that painting is very much a science whose precepts must be understood to make it an art. Gomez is deeply indebted to those who came before him, and feels a special connection to the European and American masters of the mid- to late 19th century, whose loose strokes and sound drawing are prevalent in his own work. His academic training is balanced by his roots in Mexican and Chicano art, which allow his own work a certain freedom in its conception and a radical purpose at its core.

Gomez received his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his M.F.A. from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. He spent the summer of 2006 studying at the Ateliers du Carrousel les Arts Decoratifs in Paris. Gomez has been teaching a wide range of art classes through the Global Arts Studies Program (GASP) at UC Merced since 2010.

Richard at work

LMS Mural, Livingston, CA

"La Luz" (oil and aerosol on wood)