Exhibit
2019-2020
Getting to Know: Ria
Ria is a disabled mother of 3, who was born in Camp LeJeune, NC, but was raised in Jacksonville, NC. Growing up along Onslow Beach (Camp LeJeune, NC), Ria loved to play in the woods with her brother and their friends. Ria moved to Royal Oak, MI in 1998 and migrated south to Ann Arbor in 2013; after having 2 surgeries back to back and becoming at risk of being homeless before succumbing to homelessness last summer. Ria now has secured housing with her 2 daughters (the eldest lives in Oakland Co., MI)
Always the crafty one, Ria would come up with ideas that are not only unique, but at times eccentric. By watching PBS’s Bob Ross’ wet on wet technique, learning how to express her creativity through art and even when her shoulder is in pain, Ria always takes the time to work through it and try to capture every detail in her work. For her, producing small works of art is like capturing a snapshot on a Polaroid. Capturing a moment in time and trying to preserve it with scribbles and swatches of color, hoping to portray the exact moment.
Every day, Ria is pushing herself to create a unique design, trying to bring life to a canvas through an array of colors, or hunched over scribbling over previous designs, trying to bring a depth of emotion and movement to her work. When she isn't painting or drawing, you can find her blindly weaving unique designs into dream catchers. Art, for Ria, is not only about creating something beautiful and new. For her it's also about working on herself, and her health, both mental and physical.
Ria was the featured artist at the November 2019, Art on a Journey Gallery.
2020
Ria’s Emotional Scene
Project
