Change and mistakes are a major part of Madison artist Fernando Rico's painting process, in which he uses acrylics, oils, charcoal, oil pastels, spray paint, and other materials.

He told me this while I visited his home studio earlier this week to discover the artist behind Rico's works displayed as part of Carnelian Art Gallery's August exhibition, "The Time We Spend Looking Outside," which features both Rico and Milwaukee artist Dan Fleming. The show will be on display and for sale until the end of August. 

"What I'm doing right now is kind of like an underpainting," Rico says. "Nothing of this will probably survive. Eventually, I'll start seeing things that catch my attention. I start playing with this in Photoshop. I take pictures of the painting, put it in Photoshop and start placing images on top and then I try it again. Then, I take another picture, put it back in Photoshop. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it doesn't. It's kind of like a collage."

Rico said he doesn't believe that inspiration strikes when you're doing something mundane. Rather, ideas come into his mind during his painting process. He remembers growing up in Colombia, being surrounded by tropical plants, mountain ranges, and brilliant hues of green. Rico also remembers his childhood and being surrounded by family and community. 

"Sometimes, I start a painting based on photography," he says, subsequently gesturing to a parts of the painting he works on telling me which parts he likes and doesn't like ... for no reason at all other than intuition. 

What was starting to take shape was a figure that looked like it was laying down. Then, Rico turned the canvas upside down, creating a whole new story. That's another part of his process, especially when he feels stuck. 

"I know when I painting is finished because you cannot add anything else," he says. "Everything is in the right place. It's kind of like a diaglogue between shapes, colors and forms. That's how I feel it."

Rico, originally from Medellín, Colombia, has resided in Madison with his partner for around a decade. He has loved art ever since he was a kid, having started with drawing and evolving his style into what it is now. 

Rico is inspired by old art masters like the late French visual artist Henri Matisse, as well as more contemporary artists. 

He is a trained graphic designer. He started getting serious as an artist in 2019, subsequently applying to the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art's annual Art Fair on the Square. He credits his partner for encouraging him to apply. 

Showing at Carnelian Art Gallery is Rico's second commercial gallery exhibition. He said he's excited to see his work adorn the gallery's walls, and pleased with the show's community response thus far. 

"Go see my work personally," he says. "Photographs don't do it justice."