By Trey Speegle
For years, Ric Best never really needed a physical art studio, as he did work strictly in the digital realm.
With space at a premium, Best says, “It was easier than painting while I was in New York City.”
Four years ago, one of the main attractions in moving to Mérida was building a two-story studio with a mezzanine behind the house he and partner Louis Navarrete renovated in Santiago. There, he began to paint again.
And being in Mexico brought out the more colorful side of his work.
“I’ve always worked abstractly. Moving to Mérida at the start of COVID gave me the time to work and focus on my painting. In New York, my paintings were dark — my pallets were blacks browns and grays.”
Born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, Best attended the Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh while writing a weekly art column for a local paper. After moving to New York City, he continued his education at the School of Visual Arts and Parsons and worked as an artist assistant for 15 years.
Best says he was influenced by far too many artists to mention, but he mentions a few, anyway: “In art school, I fell in love with the work of Ross Bleckner, Julian Schnabel, and Judy Rifka.
And his Mérida influence continued in the unexpected form of greenery.
“I was clearing the garden and marveled at the shapes of the leaves and twigs I was cutting. I decided to lay them on a painted circular canvas and spray paint the shapes. It felt like I was combining New York City graffiti art with beautiful Mérida fauna. It felt good. Like I was merging two homes.”
Best has since started a new a series called Wreaths, or Coronas in Spanish. “I like the fit of the title.”
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