My Story
Since the age of 7, when I saw the Great Barrier Reef for the first time in the pages of a Nat Geo magazine, my soul has longed for adventure and to see that kind of color IN PERSON. The Ocean is my Mother and my refueling station and always will be. I gain strength and calm at the water’s edge and even more when I submerge. What lies beneath is a constant movie of images playing in my mind. But living there is still not the whole answer for me. I must follow my brushes and my heart.
My sweet husband says he believes my soul is like a 1000 piece puzzle that has been scattered across the globe. Being born in Alaska was my first piece. Growing up in a small town in Illinois surrounded by corn fields and pig pens was another piece. NOT a very glamorous one I know…but still a piece. As the years went by, I found a piece here and there. Being a wife, becoming a mother on four different occasions, running a business, a few trips, and every person I have met along the way all provided more pieces.
As my paint brushes began to work for me, the traveling just seemed to follow. Being a professional artist helps soothe my gypsy spirit. I spend my time painting and traveling around finding those pieces of my soul along the way in the people that I meet and the creatures that I encounter. There is an element of art and beauty in so many things and that drives me to continue searching for the pieces because I WANT to FEEL something. Each painting I do takes me on a different adventure. Whether it is an art show, gallery exhibit, meeting a new client, a teaching gig, or spending time learning from another artist, there is always something to look forward to. Likewise, there is always a painting on my easel and a trip on the horizon to go along with it. Being on the road feels like home to me. Always has always will.
I want to SEE it ALL…I want to TOUCH it ALL … HEAR it ALL …TASTE it ALL ……SMELL it all…(um, except for pig pens...pretty much over smelling that one ..lol ) But most important…I want to FEEL it ALL with every fiber of my being…………….(dramatic pause) then somewhere along the way I will PAINT it ALL. Whether it’s by meeting other artists and telling their stories, or cage diving with sharks and peeing my wet suit. Hugging a baby rhino at a refuge in Africa, snorkeling with humpback whales and their calves in the sanctuary of the Silver Banks, or painting with kids from other countries and letting the painting we do together be our translator. I …WANT..TO..FEEL…IT…ALL!!!!
You can say I am on a Vision Quest of sorts, just without the peyote and the uncontrollable vomiting. To me life is a race. A race against time. That hour glass is nailed down to the table and I AM going to find all the pieces to my puzzle before the last grain falls. This is my journey. This is my life. I AM Rio Saress, and this is The Color Of My World.
My sweet husband says he believes my soul is like a 1000 piece puzzle that has been scattered across the globe. Being born in Alaska was my first piece. Growing up in a small town in Illinois surrounded by corn fields and pig pens was another piece. NOT a very glamorous one I know…but still a piece. As the years went by, I found a piece here and there. Being a wife, becoming a mother on four different occasions, running a business, a few trips, and every person I have met along the way all provided more pieces.
As my paint brushes began to work for me, the traveling just seemed to follow. Being a professional artist helps soothe my gypsy spirit. I spend my time painting and traveling around finding those pieces of my soul along the way in the people that I meet and the creatures that I encounter. There is an element of art and beauty in so many things and that drives me to continue searching for the pieces because I WANT to FEEL something. Each painting I do takes me on a different adventure. Whether it is an art show, gallery exhibit, meeting a new client, a teaching gig, or spending time learning from another artist, there is always something to look forward to. Likewise, there is always a painting on my easel and a trip on the horizon to go along with it. Being on the road feels like home to me. Always has always will.
I want to SEE it ALL…I want to TOUCH it ALL … HEAR it ALL …TASTE it ALL ……SMELL it all…(um, except for pig pens...pretty much over smelling that one ..lol ) But most important…I want to FEEL it ALL with every fiber of my being…………….(dramatic pause) then somewhere along the way I will PAINT it ALL. Whether it’s by meeting other artists and telling their stories, or cage diving with sharks and peeing my wet suit. Hugging a baby rhino at a refuge in Africa, snorkeling with humpback whales and their calves in the sanctuary of the Silver Banks, or painting with kids from other countries and letting the painting we do together be our translator. I …WANT..TO..FEEL…IT…ALL!!!!
You can say I am on a Vision Quest of sorts, just without the peyote and the uncontrollable vomiting. To me life is a race. A race against time. That hour glass is nailed down to the table and I AM going to find all the pieces to my puzzle before the last grain falls. This is my journey. This is my life. I AM Rio Saress, and this is The Color Of My World.