Shades of Somber
Acrylic paint
INSPIRATION
Turmoil and unexpected turns of events darken the colors of light of hope within our souls. The opportunity for growth can shed the weight of the most somber shades and result in a person’s elevation of consciousness.
Meet the Artist: Roberto Lopez Rios
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Medium: Acrylic paint
Turmoil and unexpected turns of events darken the colors of light of hope within our souls. The opportunity for growth can shed the weight of the most somber shades and result in a person’s elevation of consciousness.
11×14
Medium: Black and red pen, white charcoal, and gesso on paper
After being sentenced to life in prison at sixteen years old, Roberto Lopez Rios says “…throughout my experience, it was the love my mother showed me and her actions that laid the foundation that held me down.” Lopez Rios served twenty-three years in prison. Informed by his experiences on the inside, he and his childhood friend Avra Anagnostis founded “Juvenile Sentencing Reform MN,” an organization that advocates for the end of sentencing juveniles to life without parole. Lopez Rios was released a year after Minnesota’s Heinous Crimes Act was amended in May 2023.
Cuestionando la fe was created during the process of the hearing for his release and represents the generations of powerful Mexican women that have shaped his belief system. Although he may sometimes falter, as represented by Santa Maria de Guadalupe’s facelessness and the men turning their backs on her, he knows that she laid the foundation for Mexico and Mexican people the way that his mother, Julia, did for him. Women, he emphasizes, are sacred and valued.
8x8 inch print
"Turmoil and unexpected turns of events darken the colors of light of hope within our souls. The opportunity for growth can shed the weight of the most somber shades and result in a person’s elevation of consciousness."