To RAW: Natural Born Artists, art shows have the potential to break away from the clichéd showcase of a gallery setting and transform into a collaborative event. Rather than following the tradition of highlighting one artistic genre, RAW works to fuse the many elements of art into one extravagant production.
When experiencing the phenomenon of RAW, the show pushes the creative facets of film, theater, fashion, hair, makeup, visual art, music and various other forms.
“[At] all of the events, we have a stage and a runway, and then we have popup art galleries around the rest of the venue,” said Jennifer Chipman, the show’s coordinator.
By molding the many forms of art, RAW presents a harmonious extravaganza, where artists from different walks of life have the ability to network and market their unique style of self-expression. This Thursday, the artists of RAW will take full advantage of the many opportunities at the upcoming RAW art show, “Marvel.”
At “Marvel,” viewers will be bombarded with different forms of visual imagery — manifested in the styles of paint, photography and graffiti. From visual art to performing art, RAW audience members’ attention may turn to the band’s distinct musical talent, Winters Run, or the freestyle poetry of Colby Saenz. In fact, “Marvel” might be compared to a jigsaw puzzle where each artist acts as an individual puzzle piece, but when combined, the representative puzzle pieces mutate into a mesmerizing picture.
There is never the same piece in a jigsaw box. Like the individuality of puzzle pieces, the RAW artists are uniquely individual. One diamond in the rough is Ricky Arriola. While his work has been displayed throughout the Salt Lake Valley, Arriola admits that “Marvel” will be his first official art show. As a graffiti artist, the legalities of Arriola’s spray-painted illustrations have proved a big obstacle, but that has not stopped him from pursuing his passion. When working on site, Arriola takes on the persona of his tag name, Speak.
After his older cousin and mentor had been sent to juvenile detention, Arriola moved into his aunt’s house and discovered a notebook full of his cousin’s drawings.
“I was flipping through these pages, and I saw the word ‘speak,’” Arriola said. “I liked the word and used it to honor my cousin. Because he was locked up, he didn’t have a voice, so Speak gave him one.”
At age 4, Arriola’s mother died in an accident that was the aftereffect of a police car chase. Since then, Arriola has moved up and down the Salt Lake City territory. Living a less-than-satisfactory childhood, Arriola turned to rebellion and graffiti. Through thick and thin, graffiti has acted as his form of meditation and his outlet for aggression.
Arriola said RAW has afforded him the opportunity to turn his graffiti into a professional and respected art form. At “Marvel,” he also hopes to discover new artistic interests.
Like Arriola, oil painter Christopher Baker will introduce his art at “Marvel.” As a self-taught artist, Baker has embodied a style that cannot be replicated. Inspired by the art movement of surrealism, Baker paints visions marked in his dreams.
“A lot of the time, [the paintings] are just images or spots in a dream,” Baker said. “No dream is really played out in my head, but for some reason I will remember a scene and there was something very beautiful about that scene. The memory was so beautiful, I had to see it again.”
Vibrant colors and structured lines identify Baker’s style. For instance, one of his featured paintings contains sharp architectural shapes in the foreground of a melting red sky. Some spectators have compared it to a futuristic city facing the doom of an apocalypse.
From painting the dreams he experiences in sleep to chasing his dream of becoming a self-sustaining artist, Baker has high hopes for the upcoming affair. For example, he aims to commission out his painting talent. When creating art for someone, Baker follows a different trend. He works to read a person’s emotions and then represent the subject’s feelings through the painting.
Qualities of empathy and sensitivity are essential components to the recipe of a well-developed artist. Moving from visual art to performing art, the same characteristics can be found. Improvisation poet Colby Saenz utilizes his ability to read signals when performing on stage.
Since high school, Saenz had been fascinated with words. Eager to absorb any interesting word, he often turns to his friend — the dictionary. Saenz’s enthrallment with speech does not stop with the English language. He wants to master Latin, the root of all romance languages.
However, Saenz’s poetry is more than words. It is about evoking the essence of human emotion and telling a relatable story.
“You have to put yourself in a position of any instant,” Saenz said.
Thinking off the top of his head is something Saenz has perfected. When performing his poems, Saenz takes the position of a method actor and steps into the shoes of an audience-decided character. If his topic is heartbreak, Saenz truly feels crushed by love.
When writing poems, Saenz admits he lets his emotions get the best of him. Saenz’s expressive technique can be demonstrated through the verses of his written statements in an untitled poem, “I lost a part of me today/ It hurts seeing it go in every single way/ As these tears fall down my eyes I only ask why/ Why do these thing happen when you actually try?”
When understanding the background of the eclectic mix of RAW artists, it is evident that the Salt Lake City Chapter of RAW: Natural Born Artists is more than an organization — it is a community of artists learning and interacting with each other.
RAW art shows occur every other month, and any aspiring artist is welcome to submit a portfolio of work. Tickets for all RAW art performances are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.