Congratulations on receiving an Fine Art Honorable Mention/ Spring 2023 and best wishes ongoing to:
Osvaldo Rios-Sabalza, a Junior at Portland State University majoring in Fine Art Practice
“One of the reasons that I love to work in my style, which is realism, is because of how much work it takes. I am someone that likes to work in manual labor and has done so in the past. Since I was a child, I would help my dad in his landscaping company which is very physically demanding. My endurance through this work has made me enjoy the time needed to create realism. By continuously practicing, I eventually start seeing a progression in my work, which is always satisfying. I like to use watercolor because when people view my work, I want them to be able to tell that it’s a painting.
My subject matter is also important to me, portraiture being at the top, but I also like my works to have a horror or pop culture theme to them if appropriate. I feel most excited
when I paint a toy or a portrait with something scary. It’s ironic though, I would consider myself someone full of fear, it often prevents me from sharing my work or being social in
general. That is something I would hope to overcome in my remaining time at college, but will keep working on it for life.
Something that I could also implement in my work is my identity. To start accepting myself more and sharing that with others, I need to reflect more about who I am. It is
something I have avoided because part of my identity is looked down upon. Such as being Mexican or gay. I often feel like an imposter when I say I am Mexican because I am very much American, but my family is from Mexico. However, they aren’t the most supportive when it comes to anything LGBT. It has only been very recently that I have started thinking about my identity in relation to my art.”
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