I’d say it’s pretty rude to throw someone’s artwork on the ground, but RZone has intentionally made pieces that you can walk on. She’s asked me to promote her new shoes–I KNOW, isn’t that so cool!–in my blog.

It’s nice to have someone request your work, so I agreed. On one condition: that she answer a few questions for me. Not that she hasn’t been interviewed before, but I wanted to take a stab at it myself and use my own words.

I’ve been fortunate enough to see her artwork on display, witness live painting on several occasions, and even be the subject of her photoshoots–one of which helped me to get an article in DISfunkshion Magazine. Rzone on the rise and is most definitely willing to take others with her. I’d say her fighting spirit–paired with her compassion–is what makes her stand out in a world still unfamiliar to her. Coming all the way from Venezuela, we’ve had the honor of showing her a new culture mixed with a group of talented individuals she can collaborate with, inspire, and learn from.

For this painter/digital artist/photographer, it’s more about “playing” and experimenting with new mediums. Rzone’s style is always evolving, and I’ve witnessed that even in the two years I’ve known her. After I “sat down” with her, I learned a few new things you might also find interesting. Read on, my friend. Read on.

Your name?

I like to be called Rzone and that is my artistic name, but my name is Royr and that is the R in Rzone.

How did you get that artist name?

I stared with royrzone and after coming to live in the US, I shortened it to Rzone (people here just can’t say my name) but I still use royrzone sometimes. The zone came from a street slang in my country… “esta es my zona” “this is my zone” meaning I’m in charge of this area (it was a word play for me).

How would you describe your style and what inspires you to change it?

Wow! Well I don’t know. Maybe we can say feminine/street wannabe type of thing. Hahaha…
I just started this new series three weeks ago and I’m still playing with it, experimenting with the shapes of the characters, colors and trying different media. I’m letting it be now. So far I started with the media I’m familiar with: computer illustration. I really can’t afford to print the pieces so I tried with acrylic and the characters look super different. I like how they came out, but really acrylic is not my thing…so I’m still looking.

I changed my old style because I didn’t like it anymore. I’m getting old. I’ve been living different experiences, so I’m changing and so is my art. Its refreshing to discover that you can start over how ever many times you feel you need to.

How has Hawaii influenced the type of art that you do?

I’ve been more in touch with Asian styles, that was something new for me. Also in Hawaii I’m collaborating with a lot of artists all the time, and seeing their technique helped me a lot in the past two years. 

Where have you traveled to, and what places do you plan to travel or revisit in the future?

I’m from Venezuela and proud to say that I know it all upside down. After I left, I lived in Barcelona and visited Nice, Monaco, and Milan. When I came to the US,  I stayed in Miami, Vegas, New York and now Hawaii. Places I want to travel? I wanna go to Asia, it looks closer from here…(maybe in the future). 

What different kind of art (ceramics, calendars, clothing) have you done?

I did little dolls with baked clay, that was fun. Calendars, that wasn’t that fun. Now I’m doing pillows and I’m printing my designs on Keds shoes, this is really fun. 

Where did you get your training?

As a kid, painting was my favorite game (and still is). After high school I studied art in an art school in my country, learned art history (my favorite subject), and a little of the basic drawing and sculpture. When I was in Europe I took some classes of art therapy. But unfortunately I didn’t get any formal training for technique. I learned to paint on the computer on my own and that’s also what I’m doing with acrylic.

What experiences in shows, magazines, or graphic designs do you have so far?

I’ve had good and bad experiences with all of them. It’s so strange when you are new, and naive, and you don’t know what is going on. A lot of people want to–and do–take advantage of that. But after a while you start to be more wise and learn to stand up for your art. I’m still learning. 

What is the next event coming up for you?

No events for me for a while. I just wanna focus in my painting right now. 

What is your motto for life and why you do what you do?

Haha….the life itself.

Make sure to visit Zazzle and take a look at Rzone’s new shoes! You can also find her on MySpace, Blogspot, Flickr, and as a featured GroundUP artist on their site.

❤ K. Love