Ronald Reyes [pronounced Ray-s] is a local sculptor who operates a Riverside studio. Some of his work is on display through the end of November in the lobby of the SunTrust Building.
HOW LONG HAS HE BEEN AN ARTIST?
“I’ve been an artist my whole life. Ever since I was a kid I always looked at things differently. Art is what kept me in school.”
WHAT IS HIS PREFERRED MEDIUM?
“I love the freedom of sculpture. I was a photography major in school [Douglas Anderson School of the Arts]. I didn’t start sculpting until after high school so all my techniques are purely self-taught. My medium, wire, is not very popular. It’s totally different from others work.”
SO HE DOESN’T PAINT?
“Maybe in the future, but I wouldn’t do traditional painting. I would incorporate it with sculpture or something.”
HOW WOULD HE DESCRIBE HIS WORK?
“It’s a play on metal and light, movement and form. I try to play with different forms and focus on abstract pieces.”
WHAT SUBJECTS DOES HE LIKE TO SCULPT?
“The SunTrust show demonstrates how diverse my work can be. I was working with light fixtures that are very abstract and modern. Dancers are my signature pieces. My flowers are designed for aesthetics but my work is not limited to that. The flowers have kept me eating but they still have the essence of my style.”
WHAT OTHER SHOWS HAS HE DONE?
“This year I’ve had four shows total, some at Brooklyn Arts & Design Center, one at Flat 38. Other shows in the past were smaller. I had a show in Massachusetts with a group of friends. I’ve been doing shows for maybe three years but this year I’ve done nothing but travel doing art work. Traveling is one of my passions. It’s learning and experiencing different ways to live.”
RESIDENCE
Filipino by birth, Reyes now lives in Avondale with his family of friends. He emigrated here when he was seven.
WHAT INFLUENCES HIS WORK?
“Dance influences me. Everything I do has that essence of movement. I sculpt wire into a form that expresses movement. It’s very fluid. Even when it’s still, it looks like it’s moving.”
IS THERE AN UNDERLYING MESSAGE TO HIS WORK?
“I guess everything one does is a representation of what they’re going through. I look at my art as my personal growth. Whether it is spirituality or nature or frustrations with relationships, it all comes out in the work. I’m conveying myself and the way I would view things. I don’t try to communicate a specific message; it’s everything that goes through my mind.”
WHAT INSPIRES HIM?
“Nature inspires me. I’m into being in the mountains or the beaches, looking up into the cosmos. Local artists, I’m inspired by them. I have this great community of friends and family that are incredibly supportive. They inspire me to be bigger and better than I am.”
WHO COLLECTS HIS SCULPTURES?
“People who are really interested in my work are architects and interior designers. Designers love my work. I’m getting some corporate appeal, but nothing big yet.”
WHAT’S MOST CHALLENGING?
“I have to have lots of patience when I’m creating because it’s building and building and building up all these textures. It’s not really a problem; it just requires a lot of time.”
WHAT’S MOST REWARDING?
“I love the feedback when I have a show that amazes or inspires people. That’s the best feeling for an artist.”
FULL-TIME ARTIST
“I put myself on a schedule. I have to put in 40 or 50 hours a week and I count my hours. It’s a job; it’s a real job. If I don’t work, I don’t eat.”
HAS HE EVER WORKED IN ANOTHER FIELD?
Reyes owned a coffee shop, Blue Java, in Shands Hospital about three years ago. “When I was 19 I thought I should start a business, make a lot of money and later on I could become an artist without the struggle of being a starving artist. Now, I’m getting some income from my work.”
WHERE DOES HE WANT TO GO WITH THIS?
“My goal as an artist is to create work that is very true to me. I want to do just art for the rest of my life and to do it for me.”
SIDE JOB
He will be part of a design group creating sets and installations for an upcoming event at the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art, honoring the late shoe designer, LaRose. He will most likely take part in the Tunnel Vision art show in December, too.
HOBBIES?
Reyes most enjoys making jewelry, designing clothing, cooking and dancing.
PET PEEVES?
“People who just sit around and watch TV.”
WHO DOES HE ADMIRE?
“Linda Dove. She is a local designer who works for Kendale Design/Build. She’s my mentor and a really good friend. Being in the industry, she works with artists and designers. She gives me direction and support. I call her my fairy art mother. She saved me from being just another artist.”
— by Monica Tsai