Interview with Ramón Rivas

He was born in Lands of Don Quixote (Castilla-La Mancha / Spain). His family environment and the multidisciplinary influence of his professional activity; in sports, music, engineering, inventions and art, in Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid, were decisive for the artistic creation of a very personal and different style, called Rivismo, based on the application of the Experiential Brushstroke. During the last seventeen years, his research has managed to reinforce the Concepts and Philosophy that predominate in Rivismo and that have given prominence to the material elements to which he has assigned aspects, functions and values of people.

Exhibitions have been held in several countries; Spain, China, South Korea, Italy, Denmark, United States, among others. In addition, there are works in the collection of museums in Spain, Denmark and South Korea. The influence of the Internet; Webs, Blogs and Social Networks have contributed quickly to make this artistic proposal known. In response to this diffusion of his work, he has been recognized with invitations to international exhibitions, interviews, inclusion in books and art magazines, and multiple important international awards.

How would you describe yourself and your artwork?

 Art was included in my family environment. From a very young age I was able to immerse myself in artistic techniques and works developed by various members of my family. This beginning was the basis for continuing and consolidating my artistic proposal, which I have called Rivismo, and which has been complemented by the multidisciplinary influence of my later professional activities; in sports, music, engineering and inventions.

 I have developed my artistic proposal, Rivismo, to make new concepts tangible, leave full freedom to my imagination, and apply a work in which inspiration is needed, and in which it predominates; planning, organization, precision in execution and, especially, the inclusion of new roles or functions incorporated into the materials and elements that intervene in the composition. I use my creativity to be different and I look for new innovative artistic achievements that surprise and excite. In this way, I want to bring freshness to the art.

The Philosophy and Concepts of Rivismo, based on the application of Experiential Brushstrokes, give freedom to material and immaterial elements, so that they participate in equal conditions as if they were people. Materials and mathematical or physical expressions, among others, participate in functions and feelings typical of human relationships. Hence, a conceptual balance is established between non-human elements; the strong and the weak, equality, empathy or the reassignment of roles. Weak or brittle materials take on the characteristics and functions of strong materials.

My works, which oscillate between reality and unreality, also show a balance between basic elements such as; the composition, the textures, the colors, etc., and above all, with the creation of an energetic current that circulates around the stage, between the material, immaterial and human elements, which is projected outwards, enveloping itself with the energy of the viewer. I make my images, and even part of them, with a depth so that they are visually passionate and I complement them with motifs of impressive density.

 How do you go about beginning a new piece? Do you have an idea already in mind, or do you start working with materials or sketches to find the departure point?

The work that I have done in such different professions and activities has loaded the files of my brain, to have a lot of information and multiple possibilities to create compositions of all kinds. My training as; Organization and Project Engineer, European Diploma in Strategic Planning and knowledge of Visualization and Mental Control, they help me order and plan the development of a composition, carry out its structural architecture and rigorously apply the precision of its execution. The starting idea has a lot to do with my imagination and with what I decide to do freely and without limits. The application of research is a very important element for my work. I try to follow the technique that I apply when making an invention. The condition of novel and different element is essential for it to be patentable. Therefore, I try to make creations from scratch avoiding any type of contamination from works by other authors.

For all this, an engine part, a rusty vehicle body, acids on surfaces, burned wood, a mathematical formula, a property of prime numbers, the golden ratio, the Fibonacci spiral, the seventeen-sided polygons of Gauss, the equations of Relativity, black holes, etc., are enough elements to start and develop a theme, a story or, simply, a provocative composition that activates the senses.

 When do you think your most prolific time of day or week is?

 The important thing is to be clear about what is going to be done or what is being created. Specific concentration is essential to isolate myself from external conditions and noises that can break the state of creation. Arrived at this situation, it does not matter at what time of the day or week brushstrokes, concepts, etc., are incorporated into the stage of the composition. I try to concentrate on very adverse situations, which allows me not to have to claim the good physical or climatic comforts and the wonderful paradisiacal spaces. In these work scenarios, imagination and creativity grow more.

 What is a barrier you as an artist overcame? Is there anything that enabled you to develop your work as an artist in your life?

 As I have narrated in previous paragraphs, I have been lucky enough to live with very creative artists in my family. From this point of view, art has been my traveling companion. I have developed it since my childhood and, in other activities, such as; design, advertising, etc. However, the need to assist my parents in their last years of life forced me to give up various professional activities and concentrate solely on artistic work, which I could combine with the assistance and care of said relatives. This was the moment in which I created Rivismo, which is my artistic proposal, and which I have been developing and researching for more than seventeen years.

 Did you have an idea of what you wanted to create right from the beginning?

 The artistic works that I made since I was a child have had an evolutionary path until the present moment. The artistic curve has been improving as the years in which I have acquired have gone by; information, experiences, techniques and technology.

The variables that can improve this graph are a function of my own personal characteristics, which are what they contribute; creativity, imagination and novelty in my works. The initial idea moves through this artistic graph as if it were a highway that leads to the end point of the work that I want to create.

 What is the meaning or creative inspiration for your work? We’re curious what the narrative or story is to what you are producing?

 Telling a story is easy if it is done in a figurative way. These narratives are already present in books and on many canvases. My contribution consists of telling one or more stories through conceptual elements and that, at the same time, the viewer can interpret them with their own knowledge. This form of conceptual writing, has its meaning with the application of the philosophy and the concepts that I apply in Rivismo and that are manifested with some of the following concepts: Balance between the Experiential Brushstrokes, Balance between the Strong and the Weak, From a Part to the Whole, From the Whole to a Part, Experiential Empathy and, among others, Reassignment of Roles and Functions between materials and elements. For example, in my work “Organic Transmutación”, I apply the concepts of balance between the strong and the weak, and the reassignment of roles or functions. The egg, which is unicellular and, moreover, fragile, competes with a steel toothed wheel, and the phenomenon occurs in which the egg is transformed into the wheel and acquires its same characteristics, passing to a higher state of strength and with a new function. Through Rivismo, I can also develop themes that reflect the economic, social and political state in our society. The characters involved can be identified by solving certain mathematical formulas, included as experiential brushstrokes. It is not necessary to paint a face. By solving a mathematical limit, for example, it is possible to discover the identity of the character that intervenes in the composition.

  Besides your artworks, are there any other things in life that your voice as an artist may consider vital or valuable? What makes you joyful and creative, in other words?

 Creativity is my main vital fuel. For this reason, in addition to applying it in the world of art, I have also applied it in the field of engineering, both in Organization and in carrying out Projects. I have also applied it in sports education as a national tennis coach and as a creator, producer and singer on a record.

As a pure and creative activity, I highlight my different inventions; in the field of environmental energy, communication and advertising, the safety of all types of vehicles, for sun protection of people, among others. I have several more inventions ready to be patented, but the long procedures and, above all, the current economic crisis, do not recommend their realization.

Apart from a good family and social relationship, the work in which I apply creativity and imagination to create or develop new, different and surprising things, constitute for me the best foundations to be happy. This happiness is even more complete if, in addition, my works are liked by art lovers.

 Are there any exhibitions or places where people can see these beautiful creations in person soon? Anything on the horizon?

 The last exhibitions in which I have participated are the New York Art Fairs (in the 2021 and 2022 editions). Also, at Spectrum Red Dot Miami 2022. The next exhibition will be the Madrid Station Exhibition from February 1 to 28, 2023.

I am invited to many exhibitions and Art Fairs, but I have not decided yet.

You can see my works in the museum collections in; Spain, Denmark and South Korea. There are also many magazines and books in which my works appear. In virtual exhibitions, interviews and international awards, you can also see them. To access the information in this last paragraph, you can enter my personal website: http://www.rivismo.com