Ron Lopez

Ron Lopez’s paintings and sculpture are a raw and brilliant birth of abstract forms. Growing up in Raton, New Mexico, Lopez struggled in school, but the visual arts were a refuge that offered inspiration, confidence, and a means of expression. Math and reading didn't come easily, but the arts seemed to come naturally to him. His sculptures are solid, made of steel and iron and reflect the dynamic juxtaposition of lines and shapes that so moved the abstract expressionists and before them, like Picasso. Of his work, Lopez says, “I hope people will enjoy my work and not try to figure it out.”

Lopez insists his work doesn’t have any agenda beyond sharing unadulterated emotions and a child-like fascination with the world. As he describes his creative process, “I make a piece, and in a few days, when I come back to it, if it still excites me, I think, well it works. Then, I just keep going.”

Lopez is self-taught, but readily acknowledges his influences. Picasso and de Kooning’s transcendent aspects are inextricable from his artistic style. John Chamberlain’s work made from found car parts, and the similar works of Mark de Suvero, have clear parallels with his own sculpture. Lopez's foray into sculpture began with stone and wood.  Eventually, he found perhaps his greatest influence in works of David Smith, which he remarked, “clarified my intent, at the time, and inspired me to start working with steel.”