Nina Gonzalez-Rubio is an Ecuadorian-American mixed-media figurative artist residing in Atlanta, GA. Since graduating from GSU in 2023 with a BFA concentration in Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking, her work has appeared in exhibitions like Nuestra Creacion’s “Homesick” in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, and the Annual Guardian Studios Exhibition at Echo Contemporary, where she recently rented her first studio space.
Gonzalez-Rubio experiments with various mediums, including acrylic and oil paint, pastels, embroidery, relief carving and printmaking. Their fascination with painting in particular has grown with time.
“I used to hate painting altogether. I thought it was always working against me and I could never get my ideas across,” they said. “After a while, I learned that when you look at paintings long enough, you find that the brush strokes tell just as much of a story as the rest of the piece.”
Self-expression drives Gonzalez-Rubio’s work, much of which focuses on the experience of navigating an extroverted world as a self-proclaimed introvert.
“My work used to be about how my sentimental memories inform my present self,” she said, “but I think my work has always been about self-exploration.”
Her recent focus on expressing her introversion is influenced by her perfectionist nature and role as the oldest sibling. This has allowed her to present a complex side of herself in her art, in pieces like “The Cringe,” “Day One Will Come One Day” and “To Those Who Wait.”
“I find my work helps me feel more comfortable in my skin and not force myself to be a stranger,” she said. “In some ways, I think my work helps present a side of me I find trouble showing to people.”
Influenced by animated shows like “Midnight Gospel” and “Adventure Time,” Gonzalez-Rubio says that their fascination with cartoons has impacted their style as an artist, helping them lean into their expressive nature to peel back the layers of their own inner world. They also draw inspiration from artists like Sasha Gordon and Latoya Hobbs, whose work they find “raw and refreshing.” Their processes enamored Gonzalez-Rubio as artists, and viewing Hobbs’ work at The Hand Magazine’s Finalists Exhibition in 2023 led them to pursue creating more relief carving portraits.
Gonzalez-Rubio said that her journey with art has been “an extremely bumpy roller coaster,” but she “wouldn’t trade it for anything.” She credits her father, a graffiti artist, with encouraging her to pursue her passion, explaining that always having his support solidified her choice to pursue art school and apply for the BFA program at GSU. Her best friend, Gia, and the friends she met during her time at GSU have been influential in her journey as well, encouraging her to pursue opportunities that seemed out of reach.
She encourages other artists to apply for opportunities even if they doubt their qualifications.
“It may take countless rejections before you get accepted into something, but it is always so rewarding,” she said. “No opportunity will be given to you if you don’t try for it.”
“The hardest thing for me is the continuous reminder that I am still an artist even though I can’t dedicate all of my time to art,” Gonzalez-Rubio explained. “I always find myself beating myself up over this, but this career path takes several years of dedication to bring to fruition. It’s impossible to rush.”
Gonzalez-Rubio is currently planning out a small series of work for her upcoming residency at Elf School of the Arts in North Carolina. She plans on continuing to build her portfolio and applying to an MFA program next year, with her sights set on the University of New Mexico or New Paltz. She has been pursuing muralist opportunities to explore creating larger-scale work and says that one of her goals is to design a wall somewhere in the city.
