Meet RexArthur Ramos | Handmade Jewelry Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with RexArthur Ramos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi RexArthur, how do you think about risk?

I’ve always considered myself a jack of all trades but instead of “master of none” I like to believe I’m a master of some–one of which is jewelry. As a consequence of that, in all my interests and undertakings throughout the years I knew I would fail at several various things. That doesn’t mean I immediately stop after the first try. Getting back up and coming at a problem from a different perspective with knowledge of the previous experience is personal growth. In regards with risk taking and jewelry, knowing that failures will 100% come sooner or later I push forward towards a goal incrementally. Taking many small and even minute steps helps me to take manageable risks head on.

To me, the biggest risk was the initiative of starting my own jewelry studio. It wasn’t the substantial amount of jewelry making knowhow that was available for me to study and practice. The first step of just starting the studio was the biggest risk I took. I’m glad I took that risk.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

As a business owner & as an artist I will admit that jewelry is a very saturated arena. Regardless of that, one of my first goals when I first started jewelry design was to inspire others to start their own creative ventures. I wanted to make work or in the act of passionately making work, inspire others. Most of my work is focused on transforming a piece of sterling silver sheet into three dimensional forms of wearable art with three artistic focuses–dimension, form, and composition. Through these three focuses I try to standout in this saturated industry.

While I am proud of all my work, the piece which I am most proud of is the San Diego State University presidential medallion (Clairvoyance 2019) created for current SDSU president Adela de la Torre which shall be worn during official university ceremonies. Secondly, inspired by The Naasut Tiara, the floral bracelet (Florista 2018) I made for my very first art show at Taboo Studio is one of my favorites to this day.

Artistically & entrepreneurially I got to where I am today by taking one leap forward in addition to many smaller steps. I started my studio with a $100 investment in jewelry tools and an old weathered coffee table as my jewelers bench. I started extremely small and tried to sell work that someone might like. In the beginning I always invested the little income from the pieces I sold back into the studio. There were setbacks along the way and having artist’s block is one of the more difficult things to actively overcome. A great asset which was recommended to me by my former professor, Kaiya Rainbolt, is the book..

“Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking” – David Bayles & Ted Orland

Even though, someone who has artist’s block is waiting for the perfect idea, or waiting to have a better skillset, “Art & Fear” stresses to artists to keep creating work no matter how bad, small, insignificant, or uninspired it may be because through the process of continually making work is how artists evolve their skill sets as well as their creativity.

One of the personal lessons I’ve learned throughout my artistic journey is to understand what motivates me to keep making work. While I don’t know if I’ve inspired any person through my work I’m motivated to create in the hopes that it may inspire someone someday.

I started out as a linguistics major in college and by chance I took a jewelry design class. I found my love & talent for the craft in that first semester. Switched majors in university to Applied Design with an emphasis in Jewelry Design. Kept my nose to the pumice stone and found one of my callings in life. Through Rex Ramos Studio & jewelry I am able to share my calling in life with others.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

When I travel I like to think about what types of art, architecture, nature, food, & drinks I can experience. In San Diego there are a variety of opportunities that excel in catering to these experiences.

There’s a lot of art to be seen in San Diego. While there are a vast array of art galleries in San Diego, I recommend checking out Taboo Studio in Mission Hills. Art jewelry is unique in it’s own right and it is a form of art which is also wearable. Taboo studio fills in this niche for San Diego’s contemporary art scene with hundreds of works from local to international jewelry artists.

When you’re done looking at the sterling art at Taboo Studio you can stop by the neighboring Kettle & Stone for cafe and pastries in a cozy decor.

One of my favorite places to admire architecture and live street performances is in Balboa Park. With many styles of architecture to be found in one spot, Balboa Park was host to the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition as well as 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition.

There’s a lot of nature to experience in San Diego from desert sand dunes to sand dunes on the beaches. A spot I recommend is Children’s Pool in La Jolla. Visitors can walk along the Children’s Pool Observation Walkway where they can watch waves crash just below their feet or gaze as sunbathing seals.

Just a walk away to the south of Children’s Pool visitors can find one of many tide pools in San Diego. These tide pools host an abundant amount of marine life. Children can observe crabs, anemones, mussels, fish, sea snails, sea stars, and sometimes lobsters! I go here to find inspiration for my artwork sometimes. I recommend going during a low tide for the best experience.

For a high-end fine dining experience, The Marine Room is an experience in itself. This restaurant is located on the beach of La Jolla Shores. During high tides the ocean crashes onto the restaurant’s windows. I recommend reserving a table next to the window during high tide for maximum experience!

I also recommend Cafe Coyote for a Mexican taste dining experience. In the heart of Old Town, this restaurant has a fun vibe with amazing Mexican food that San Diego is known for. I know some visitors coming to San Diego freeze their carne asada burritos just to take back home!

As for drinks, this may be a very left field recommendation but one I like to do sometimes. Going to the San Diego Zoo and buying a few drinks to unwind and relax while looking at animals is always a fun time! Yes, the zoo really serves alcoholic beverages! I wouldn’t recommend trying to drink and walk the entirety of the zoo. What I like to do is go for a leisurely walk with a cup in hand and watch animals do their thing.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

First & foremost I’d like to shoutout Lisa Mueller for asking me if I would like to take her jewelry design class at Grossmont College which started my passion for jewelry.

Also big shoutouts to Kaiya Rainbolt, Sondra Sherman, & Kerianne Quick for further teaching me about jewelry.

I want to shoutout Taboo Studio for being one of if not the sole jewelry focused art gallery in San Diego.

Last but not least my mom, dad, sister, & brother. My family always deserves a shoutout!

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RexRamosStudio

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rexramos.studio/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj4fC_jiXeWnL8qdR09wwXA