In his studio at the Arts + Literature Laboratory building in downtown Madison, Richie Morales paints from late afternoon into the night, listening to everything from folk music to Spanish rock. The large space is filled with bright splashes of color. Finished pieces\u2009\u2014\u2009bold, geometric interpretations of everyday objects and images\u2009\u2014\u2009hang on the walls. Morales\u2019 in-progress works are scattered across the floor.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Music helps Morales focus his emotions and intentions while he paints.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something very sacred for me to paint,\u201d Morales says. \u201cSo when I am painting, I would like to be there, present for my piece.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Morales worked in carpentry and construction while growing up in Antigua, Guatemala. The city\u2009\u2014\u2009world-renowned for its Spanish colonial architecture\u2009\u2014\u2009and his work as a craftsman allowed him to develop an artistic aesthetic. Morales remembers being fascinated by everything around him, from spilled concrete drying in the sun to the techniques used to make furniture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He moved to the United States in 2019 and continues to draw from his memories of Guatemala. \u201cI think [my city] gave me a big, big, big experience in terms of the textures, the colors,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Morales uses primarily acrylic paint, which allows him to build layers and create interesting textures. While he draws inspiration from a variety of sources, like current events, politics, history and philosophy, he says memory is the \u201ccore\u201d of his art.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very curious about what memory means and how we remember\u2009\u2014\u2009and how I can put those ideas and questions in colors,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
From the Artist: Richie Morales<\/p>\n
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Photo by Christine Dopp<\/p>\n
Speaking Through Art<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t know until later in my life that I suffer [from] dyslexia. So that was really, really hard for me in terms of expressing myself through words. I discovered when I was a child that drawing or painting was a way to communicate with others.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Happy Accident<\/p>\n
I fell in love with [acrylic paints]. But it happened by mistake. I found some house paint, and somebody provided me [with] a piece of cloth. When I started using the house paint, I just found that the possibilities of the acrylic textures\u2009…\u2009was something that I was looking for.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Beginning<\/p>\n
I start with the blank canvas and a lot of emotion.\u2009…\u2009Those pieces are made with a lot of intensity, in terms of what I\u2019m experiencing in that moment. That doesn\u2019t mean the end result is going to be sad or happy. It\u2019s just a cathartic moment.<\/p>\n
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![\"Richie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/69e65402ed9fc.image.jpg\"\/)
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Instead of planning each piece before starting, Morales follows his intuition and emotion to paint the first layers. \u201cIn the beginning, I don\u2019t have any plans,\u201d he says. \u201cI just let go.\u201d Once the initial layers of paint have dried, he\u2019ll start planning, sketching and sanding those layers to shape the final piece.<\/p>\n
![\"Richie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/69e654008a43d.image.jpg\"\/)
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Inside Morales\u2019 studio, a bookshelf is filled with philosophy texts by Byung-Chul Han, Bruno Latour, Frederick Nietzsche and more. He doesn\u2019t always agree with the ideas, but reading philosophy prompts new ways of thinking and ideas for his paintings. \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful because it\u2019s a dialogue with them, right?\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
![\""Postmodern](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/69e653fdd539f.image.jpg\"\/)
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Morales draws inspiration from artists like Anselm Kiefer and Antoni Tapies, who experiment with texture and create art shaped by social context and history. Morales confronts and interprets current events and issues in his work, too. \u201cPostmodern Gods,\u201d which exhibited at Arts + Literature Laboratory earlier this year, is a reflection on hypermilitarism.<\/p>\n
![\"Richie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/69e653fb8bc00.image.jpg\"\/)
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\u201cThe colors [I use] are a representation of the place I come from,\u201d says Morales, referring to the bright and varied colors he remembers seeing in Guatemala.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Instead of planning each piece before starting, Morales follows his intuition and emotion to paint the first layers. \u201cIn the beginning, I don\u2019t have any plans,\u201d he says. \u201cI just let go.\u201d Once the initial layers of paint have dried, he\u2019ll start planning, sketching and sanding those layers to shape the final piece.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Inside Morales\u2019 studio, a bookshelf is filled with philosophy texts by Byung-Chul Han, Bruno Latour, Frederick Nietzsche and more. He doesn\u2019t always agree with the ideas, but reading philosophy prompts new ways of thinking and ideas for his paintings. \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful because it\u2019s a dialogue with them, right?\u201d he says.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Morales draws inspiration from artists like Anselm Kiefer and Antoni Tapies, who experiment with texture and create art shaped by social context and history. Morales confronts and interprets current events and issues in his work, too. \u201cPostmodern Gods,\u201d which exhibited at Arts + Literature Laboratory earlier this year, is a reflection on hypermilitarism.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n