Meet Ramon Aguirre | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ramon Aguirre and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ramon, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
An affirmation or reminder about our constant dissatisfaction with life’s present situation that came to me during a meditative state is, “What other way would i’d rather have it be” To some it might not mean much but to me it means that there is no perfect scenario in life, that there will never be a time where one can say, ok everything is exactly as i want it to be.  So having this realization gives one no option but to accept and face this situation life has presented.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Professionally and non-professionally there is a lot that keeps me busy these days lol. But since we are focused here on the subject of art making especially laying down oils onto a surface i’ll talk about that, I like to mix aesthetically pleasing subjects and compositions with dark notes in my work. I find it very fun to have a beautifully rendered decaying monster in harmonious colors or a landscape with skulls and bones in composition following the golden ratio which is inherent in us to naturally find beautiful despite the subject matter, It all depends on what the canvas/wood surface tells me and what mood I’m in, from a combination of accidents and experimentation i always seem to birth darker than cheerful paintings in contrast to that i cant paint if I’m feeling down, it makes me feel very good when i have a successful piece. Sometimes its a color pallet that inspires me or an interesting face even flowers believe it or not. I get inspiration from everywhere and don’t run out of ideas if all i could do is paint i would, which is ultimately my goal to achieve. Im also inspired by all the old masters like Hieronymus Bosch, Leonardo DaVinci, William Turner, Rembrandt, Maxfield Parrish etc…. as-well as some modern masters i must mention like Dan McCaw, Chet Zar and Agostino Arrivabene but the artist that unquestionably turned me into a committed painter when i ran across his artwork was Zdzislaw Beksinski from Poland. The lessons i’ve learned and would like people to know is to follow your heart, never stop learning, Don’t give up your artistic endeavor’s even if it means painting during a lunch break, late nights or a hectic atmosphere.  little steps go a long way if you just don’t quit and don’t allow anybody to blow out that spark all artists carry inside.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A bicycle ride around town would be one thing we’d do. The Drum Circle here in Manitou Springs is something i often go to. A walk to a coffee shop with good company is a good time as i’m addicted to Dirty Chai’s (Dirty Hippie”) if you have it with oat milk, “The Mate Factor” is another great place we’d visit, maybe a  stroll to the Manitou Art Center. Visiting and catching up with local artists that i’ve become good friends with would possibly be a place id take em to.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people along the way of my artistic endeavor that have encouraged me and helped push any hidden doubt out of the way, im sure i’ll miss some names. The most immediate that come to mind are two of my sisters, Melissa and Lucy they not only hang my work in their home walls but from the very beginning never uttered the words “ Why don’t you paint pretty things” meaning not dark or creepy. Other friends and acquaintances from Colorado id like to shoutout would be Don Goede from Manitou Springs, Larry Kledzik, Jantzen Peake, Jeff Fuller, Cotter Melville, David Ball, Yuri Luzov, Robyn Peterson, and Patrick Cody, Abigail Kreuser from “Kreuser Gallery” , Miss “G” from G44 and the local metal band “Clarion Void”.

Website: aguirre-ramon.squarespace.com

Facebook: Nomar Thethird

Other: i dont do much social media these days but i do have an account on the platform Mastodon my name on that is @ramoshka@toot.io or just search for Ramoshka