August 9, 2020 • 23 mins
If this was a perfect world, I wouldn’t be releasing an episode of my yet-to-be-announced, not-really-ready-to-launch podcast. It’s not a perfect world — in fact, a pandemic has turned everything upside down, and I decided, “WTH … I’m sharing my interview with artist Raul Rene...
The post MUSED Podcast: “We Hustle Harder” featuring Raul Rene Gonzalez appeared first on CauseConnect.
Check out more in-depth articles, stories, and photographs by Melissa Richardson Banks at www.melissarichardsonbanks.com. Learn more about CauseConnect at www.causeconnect.net.
Follow Melissa Richardson Banks on Instagram as @DowntownMuse; @MUSEDhouston, and @causeconnect.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
This
SPEAKER_01 (00:19):
is Melissa Richardson-Banks.
Welcome to Mused, LADU.
This is my podcast and I justwanted to Tell you that I'm not
perfect.
I know that's a surprise to alot of you.
I'm joking.
Anyways, I have been planningthis podcast for quite some
time.
And I got affected likeeverybody else with a pandemic.
(00:45):
And I didn't want to be apandemic podcaster, but here I
am.
All of my best laid plans wentto hell.
So I'm going to do this anyways.
So this interview today...
We Hustle Harder And when Ifound the print, which, by the
(01:30):
way, is an embossed linocut, Imust have misplaced the card
that was with it, and I justcouldn't read his handwriting.
He should have been a doctor.
So I went to social media andasked all my friends, and we had
some close, some near misses,some close calls.
(01:51):
And it wasn't until I wasscrolling in my Instagram and I
realized that It was him.
So here's my interview.
This is Melissa RichardsonBanks, and I'm getting ready to
call Raul Gonzalez because Ihave found out who the name of
the artist behind this wonderfulpiece that I have.
(02:13):
So here goes.
Hey, so hold on here.
Let me make sure we got you on.
There you go.
(02:34):
Okay.
Raul.
Perfect.
Now you're inside.
Raul.
Oh my God.
For the past two weeks, maybeI've been, I've, you know, like
everybody else during thispandemic, I've been going
through projects and things todo.
And I started going throughthings I needed to frame.
And I finally came across thispiece and And I posted on
(02:57):
Facebook because I couldn'tfigure out who did this piece.
And it's this amazing piece thatI want to know more about it.
So I'm taping you now.
So I hope you don't mind.
I'm going to interview youbecause I just am so excited to
find a person.
So you're Raul Gonzalez.
Let's first of all introduceyou.
SPEAKER_02 (03:16):
Yes, well, actually, so now I've actually started
using my middle name andeverything.
I've been going by Raul ReneGonzalez.
And the reason for that isthere's this other artist named
Raul Gonzalez from Boston, whoapparently, I guess him and I
are on the same sort of spectrumas far as, I don't know, I
(03:36):
guess...
Career-wise, I don't know.
I just get a lot of emails frompeople who mistake me for him
and vice versa.
It's been going on for aboutfour or five years.
It's crazy.
So I started just switchingeverything to Raul Rene
Gonzalez.
That way I can stand out on mywebsite.
Because I've had so many peoplecontact me like, hey, is this
your artwork?
(03:57):
Just like what you're doing,except they've been looking for
him.
So it's just been kind of funny.
UNKNOWN (04:02):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (04:02):
So on Facebook, and I guess what I finally realized
is that today we're not friendson Facebook, but actually as I
was, maybe we are, but eitherway, I know that we're on
Instagram.
You and I share, I see you.
In fact, that's what inspired meto kind of, it was the missing
clue that hit me today.
And I was going through,scrolling through like everybody
(04:25):
else, you know, we're kind ofpandemic scrolling.
And I was like, wait, what?
This could be a shortenedversion of Renee.
So you would prefer Renee?
Should I call you Raul or Renee?
No,
SPEAKER_02 (04:38):
yeah, Raul.
I just started adding my middlename.
That way my name would stand outonline,
SPEAKER_01 (04:43):
to be honest.
Okay, so just for anyone that'slooking to follow you, they need
to make sure it's Raul, ReneeGonzalez.
I appreciate that because I havethree names, too, and I...
Don't like it when peopleshorten my name to Melissa Banks
as an ex-husband, but MelissaRichardson Banks.
And just for everyone here thatbasically your Instagram, which
(05:05):
one do you prefer?
The workin underscore artistRaul Gonzalez, which is
W-E-R-K-I-N underscore artistRaul Gonzalez, or do you also
have another one?
SPEAKER_02 (05:14):
So that's, that's my, that's my personal, um, art.
No, that's my artist Instagram.
The only other one I have is foris Airbnb that I started, uh,
which is work, workhouse essay.
Yeah.
That, so yeah, I, I basicallyturned, uh, one of my studios at
home into an Airbnb as of acouple of years ago and it's, it
was going extremely well untilthe pandemic happened.
(05:36):
But, um, but yeah, you know,whatever that's, I
SPEAKER_01 (05:40):
know, right?
So I first met you probablyabout, I was just trying to
scroll through and figure out,it was probably about a year and
a half ago.
You had a show in Houston.
SPEAKER_02 (05:51):
Yeah, at the Union.
I think that's when we firstmet.
SPEAKER_01 (05:55):
Yes, yes, it was.
And I think I took somephotographs of you because I
love to photograph artists.
UNKNOWN (06:03):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (06:04):
And I, you know, I purchased it, I guess, that
evening and I didn't realize itbecause I think I tucked it away
with other flat works thinking,okay, I'm going to frame this at
some point.
And today when I was goingthrough my works that I wanted
to frame, I looked at this andwent, oh my God.
who did this, and where did I,and I couldn't remember, and I
(06:25):
kept thinking, I know, I know,it's going to hit me in the head
here.
And I put it on Facebook.
I zoomed in and said, who isthis artist?
And I even got the year wrong.
So tell me about this piece,because it was in 2014, not
2019.
And it says, We Hustle Harder.
SPEAKER_02 (06:43):
Yeah, so I made it in 2014 while I was still in
grad school at UTSA.
And so I had taken multipleprint classes so that way I can
have access to the printingstudios.
And so this one in particular,it was a lino cut.
But the one I printed all ofthem, I printed it so that way
(07:05):
each of the prints got embossed.
So I'm sure if you feel thetext, it's raised.
on all the prints so that way ithad a different like it actually
had like you know if you putyour hand across you actually
felt you actually can like readthe text
SPEAKER_01 (07:20):
that's what blew me away by the way because I you
know I collect I don't know ifyou if I told you this time I
not only do I represent acollector but I also am a
collector and I have mycollection is based on prints
and a variety of the types ofprintmaking and because there
are so many when I saw this itwas the emboss that got me so I
was really curious so I'm gladyou're sharing that again it's a
(07:40):
lino cut and it's embossed and II love
SPEAKER_02 (07:43):
it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Cause I was just, I mean, I wasdoing a lot of different type of
printing.
I was, uh, actually I, I thinkbefore I did these, I did a
series of calligraphs.
So I was already like workingwith the texture.
And so I was like, well, let medo a line of color.
Let's see if I can just get thesame type of, you know, not the
same type of texture, butobviously some, something that's
raised, um, off of the printonce I do.
(08:03):
And so, yeah, I just, and like,and then I guess when I was
designing the text, I would, Iwas thinking about, um, letters,
um, sort of, I guess,illuminated by neon lights.
And so I was thinking like, youknow, the outline of the letters
is like the glow of, would bethe glow of the light.
And so that's what I wasthinking about when I designed
the text.
And yeah, and like I said, alittle while ago, I was, just
(08:27):
the phrase, we hustle harder.
When I was drawing, you know,when I was drawing it out and
sketching out the idea, I wasactually first gonna make it
Houston Hustles Harder.
Because just because I wasthinking honestly a lot about
just, I guess at the time, Idon't know, Houston sports
teams.
And so, but then like, I guessbeing in San Antonio, there's so
(08:49):
much, there's such a big Spursculture here.
I was like, well, I don't want,I mean, let me, I'm in San
Antonio.
Let me not make something thatsays Houston hustles harder and
try to show it everywherebecause I would just piss
everybody off.
And so I was like, well, let medo it.
We hustle harder.
That way it can be about, who'sever sports team you feel like,
but also just about, and I alsostarted thinking about like, I
guess while I was in the printshop, like I made 51 of these.
(09:10):
So I just started thinking aboutlike, I guess since I was doing
a series of prints, I wasthinking also just about the
artists as like the artistscommunity.
We, we hustle harder justbecause like, I think just so
many artists have so manydifferent roles and
responsibilities and weardifferent caps.
Like they, every artist I knowhas different, multiple jobs or
(09:31):
they the work that they do theydo so much different types of
things like they you know likethey um their their spectrum
they're not their spectrum ofknowledge is why just because
like you know an artist has tolearn a lot of things to be able
to work for yourself and etc sothat's i guess that's where the
whole idea of that phrase camefrom but um yeah yeah
SPEAKER_01 (09:52):
I know, and I love it, again, and the texture
that's on here.
And, you know, I was really,when I posted this on Facebook,
I have a lot of friends who aretype specialists, and they're
like, who did those?
Because, you know, it's a verysimple thing.
sans serif typeface in someways, but when you look
carefully at this, the R's, Imean, it's just like, and I'm
(10:15):
curious a little bit about thatprocess.
And then don't let me forgetthat I also want to ask you why
51, why 51 of these prints?
I don't know if you want toaddress which of those questions
first.
SPEAKER_02 (10:27):
So the fifth, why did I do 51?
I don't know.
I mean, I know I wanted it tobe, it was, so at this point, I
only maybe had been doingprintmaking, like period, for
about, two years, maybe a yearand a half.
(10:48):
Like I, like that's all the, soI just, this, I wanted to have a
lot, like I wanted to do a largeseries.
Like I hadn't like the biggestone I had done prior to this was
I think an addition of 10.
So I was like, well, let me do,think of something that I can
do, you know, that's really big.
And so I guess I just thought51, cause I guess at the time,
at the time I was like, allright, I'm going to sell 50 and
(11:09):
keep one.
SPEAKER_00 (11:10):
Oh, that makes sense.
SPEAKER_02 (11:14):
And so like, and I did like, Most of them are blue,
but then I did make some silverones and some red ones.
I didn't sell them all.
I think I still have, in mypossession, maybe 20 or so.
Maybe about 20.
That's the number.
As far as the design of thetext...
(11:36):
I don't really remember what Iwas inspired by.
Like I said, the only thing Ican think of, like, I know at
that time I was, I was workingwith a lot of texts, like, um,
with a lot of other, uh, youknow, other, other phrases.
And I was thinking about, um,finding ways to put them in
neon.
And so this was just like, Iguess I does not like thinking
about how I would, um, you know,different ways to like, create
(12:00):
the letters with neon.
And so this was just, I don'tknow, a version of that, but
like with, I don't, I don'tknow.
That's, but as far as like theway that our sits where it's
like almost like a one and thesort of like this backwards nine
kind of leaning against, I, I, Idon't really know.
I think I just drew a number ofsketches and I was like, Oh,
this one looks, this one standsout.
(12:21):
And then, so this one, I don't
SPEAKER_01 (12:23):
know.
Awesome.
No, I, it's really, it's reallyawesome.
It's very subtle, but it's justvery, very awesome.
And I, I, And I love the color,the texture, just everything
about it.
And then what was the otherquestion?
Oh, the other question wasdealing with, now my brain just
went, I don't remember.
(12:43):
Well,
SPEAKER_02 (12:47):
you had said, you had asked about the text and
then you asked about live 51.
So I answered that one.
SPEAKER_01 (12:51):
You answered both of them.
Got it.
Okay.
Yeah.
I have COVID brain.
No,
SPEAKER_02 (12:57):
I get it.
So
SPEAKER_01 (12:58):
how are you doing right now?
So you're back in San Antonio.
I think when I, now I'm evenlooking back, I think we
actually met in 2018.
It's been a while because it hasbeen over a year.
And I know you had a show, Ithink at, is it called Houston
Baptist College or what?
There was a, you had a show, Ithought.
We're
SPEAKER_02 (13:19):
not friends on, because you're a little, we're
friends on Facebook because youhave Downtown Muse as your,
unless there's another one.
SPEAKER_01 (13:27):
Yeah, H-Town
SPEAKER_02 (13:28):
Muse.
Yeah, H-Town Muse.
So, no, we didn't meet atHouston.
SPEAKER_01 (13:34):
No, we didn't meet there, but I know you had a show
afterwards.
SPEAKER_02 (13:38):
Well, yeah, because, so, yeah, I had a show at the
Union, which I just had, it waspart of a group show, but then I
had a solo show at this space,which no longer exists at
H-Town.
It was called Forum 6.
It was inside Spring StreetStudios.
My friends, Tony Parana andEduardo Portillo.
SPEAKER_00 (13:57):
Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (13:59):
Yeah, Tony also had that mobile art space too, which
you also came through there aswell.
Yes, yes.
I had an installation set up inthere as well.
And
SPEAKER_01 (14:09):
I just found the pictures on my Instagram when we
met.
It was on July 13, 2018.
Yes.
and because I took some photosof you.
That was exactly
SPEAKER_02 (14:20):
two years ago.
Crazy.
SPEAKER_01 (14:21):
Yeah, that's crazy, right?
So, and I'll be sure and I'llupdate that because I know
you're going with your middlename on there just to have it on
there, but it's like when wemet, so pretty cool.
SPEAKER_02 (14:32):
Yeah, but no, I'm still here in San Antonio since,
I guess, since about March.
My wife's been working fromhome.
She works for UTSA.
She works in theircommunications department, so
she's been extremely busy, um,working from home and like, and
we're lucky that we have like aspare room that we basically
conferred into her office.
(14:53):
So she's in there like everyday, like eight to five.
And like some days she'll comeout, you know, intermittently
or, you know, maybe 20 minuteshere, 30 minutes there.
But for the most part, it's likeme with our two little girls who
are three and a half and fiveand a half for the whole day.
Um, which I'm used to, But, youknow, I'm not used to not being
able to take them to the park ortake them to places where they
(15:15):
can play with other kids.
And so it's been hard.
Like, I mean, for a littlewhile, I just wasn't making any
artwork for a little while.
And so I finally got back in thegroove.
But I have been working on this,and it's been ongoing for
several months.
I've been working on thiscommission for San Antonio's–
they just renovated the CityHall building.
(15:36):
So I have– I have threepaintings, or three panels,
because it's not threepaintings, it's three panels
that are about five feet tall bytwo feet wide, and each of those
panels, I've made a total ofnine paintings highlighting San
Antonio's historic sort ofmusic, like a diverse and
historic music scene,highlighting jazz, like jazz
(16:00):
bands, Tejano bands and thenalso the 80s like a few of the
heavy 80s heavy metal bands fromSan Antonio and so that deadline
keeps getting pushed back soright as far as right now I
should I mean I'll be finishedwith the work and by the end of
this week but then we're we maynot install until next I mean
(16:20):
until August originally we weresupposed to install back in
April back in April but that youknow got all pushed back now to
August so I've been working onthat and then I have um a couple
other things.
Like I have a show coming up inFort Worth, a solo show at the
Fort Worth community art center.
And that will run Septemberthrough October.
I, I got a, I got a commissionby this local collector here in
(16:44):
San Antonio who owns this, um,apartment complex that they
installed murals like this.
Uh, like I, like, um, basicallythey'll print my artwork on this
large vinyl.
That's to be about, I think it'sseven feet by 30 feet wide.
So, um, I took some of myartwork and redesigned it and
created this image that they'llinstall within the next few
(17:09):
weeks.
And that'll be up for a year.
And then also, I won a grant acouple months ago from the
Luminaria Artist Foundation ofSan Antonio.
And with that, I'm starting nextmonth.
I'm starting a new body of workwhere I'll be basically painting
(17:29):
artwork portraits or images ofother texts of other artists,
parents from Texas.
So like to be showing like, andnone, none of which who make
artwork about parenting, like Ido, but I want, and you know,
instead of just highly focusingon what I like my day-to-day
life, I'm going to, I'm going tobe doing, I'm starting with six
artists and they're going to beworking with them to collect
(17:50):
photographs of how they sort ofwanted to just depict themselves
of how they balance being anartist and a parent.
And then I'm going to be, um,doing all those in as oil
paintings
SPEAKER_01 (18:00):
oh my god
SPEAKER_02 (18:01):
and that'll be for a show that's a show that'll open
next year so
SPEAKER_01 (18:06):
you're keeping busy so maybe it's like you are
hustling harder
SPEAKER_02 (18:10):
yeah no i'm i'm i'm super busy i'm i'm glad my like
all my deadlines are spread outso i can like because i mean i I
try to work every day, but somedays it just doesn't happen.
I'm just too exhausted from, um,if I, we have a busy day where
we're running outside with thekids who seem like they never
seem to run out of energy.
Um, you know, I may not work,but no, yeah, I'm totally like,
(18:32):
you know, busting my butt,trying to keep things moving and
chugging along and doing what Igot to do.
Um, amidst all, you know, amidstwhat's going on right now.
I mean, I can't, just sit on mythumbs and hope for uh you know
another stimulus check oh no
SPEAKER_01 (18:46):
well i'm really so a couple things like one thing you
said really resonated with mebecause um it was dealing with
the fact that you've beenworking by yourself or at least
it at home or in solitude if youwill not going out somewhere and
i've been doing that for nearly20 years myself and i you know i
i I think it's kind of a mindgame, as you said, because
(19:08):
you're basically doing yourroutine that you've been doing,
except you have to think moreabout where you can go or not
go.
It's not like I can go have anescape, like I go work at the
local coffee shop, or I can gowork with someone else
elsewhere, or I can't just, ohmy gosh, I need to get this.
So it has...
done that and that's been likeit does mess with your mind on
(19:29):
that way so i think for me it'shaving a routine and i hear you
saying that and it's alsostudying not only the routine
but also a schedule for myselfand then immersing in projects
and i definitely hear you doingthat
SPEAKER_02 (19:43):
yeah definitely it's definitely helped um for sure
SPEAKER_01 (19:47):
and another thing you mentioned i you are you are
originally from houston Correct?
SPEAKER_02 (19:51):
Yeah.
I'm born and raised in Houston.
I grew up in North Central.
I'll just say Central.
If I say North Central, peoplethink Spring or something.
I grew about eight minutesoutside of Not even, like the
second exit out of downtown,that's where I grew up, like 45
and Cavalcade were like aroundthe corner from Canino's, that
(20:13):
produce.
SPEAKER_01 (20:14):
Oh my God, I love that place.
Yes, are you
SPEAKER_02 (20:15):
kidding?
We used to, from our apartmentwe grew up, we used to walk over
there like every about once amonth to go get, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (20:23):
When I first moved here, my brother took me there
because he has a pecan tree andthey had, you could go and you
could actually get your pecans,you just dump in a bag of your
pecans and it would sell them.
And I laughed because I took apicture when I first got here.
It says, we'll crack your nuts.
My brother's in the front of it.
I'm like, what?
(20:44):
But anyways, and it's over onair.
That's airline, right?
SPEAKER_02 (20:47):
Yeah.
So I grew up like right aroundthe corner because there's like
a the intersection airline andcavalcade.
And there, there's apartmentsthat have got revamped fairly
recently.
And there was like a post officeacross, like I grew up right
there.
Um, but I, yeah, so I moved toSan Antonio in 2012, um, for,
for grad school.
And then after grad school, wejust settled down here.
(21:09):
Um,
SPEAKER_01 (21:09):
awesome.
SPEAKER_02 (21:10):
It was a lot more affordable than Houston.
So, um,
SPEAKER_01 (21:13):
I, I'm just so excited to reconnect with you
and I, you
SPEAKER_02 (21:16):
know, super unexpected and, uh, just
awesome.
Yeah.
Thanks.
It's just, cool
SPEAKER_01 (21:23):
well what I'd like to do is I'll go ahead and I'll
post this impromptu interview onmy website and I'll put your We
Hustle Harder and it sounds likeyou do have maybe 20 prints left
so maybe you could send me alink to where if someone's
interested in purchasing the WeHustle Harder I'm glad I have
one of the low numbers but Iknow that there's others I'm
(21:46):
sure and I'd love to get moreinformation about your other
shows so people know what you'redoing and I'll Put a little bio
so people know more informationabout you and how to follow you.
SPEAKER_02 (21:56):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Thanks so much.
SPEAKER_01 (21:58):
Well, this was great.
It was a treat.
And I'm really excited and I'mglad to hear you're doing well.
And I really love, again, thatconnection, that work that you
do, balancing parents and beinga parent and being an artist.
And I think that's reallyanother topic I'd love to
explore with you at a laterdate.
SPEAKER_02 (22:18):
Yeah, and it's awesome that, like, just like me
getting into that topic.
I've like just in Houston andSan Antonio, I made a list of
all the artists, parents, andsome who are like couples.
Like I have like a list of like20 people.
And so I'm like, once I do thisbody of work, I'm gonna keep
doing it for like, I'm gonna doa whole series where it's like
artists, couples who have been,you know, and there's like so
many, it's crazy.
(22:38):
Like more than way more than Ieven like would have expected,
but it's a pretty cool.
SPEAKER_01 (22:42):
Well, I'd love to talk to you again on another
date, just on that topic alone.
Um, but for right now, what I'dlove to say is Raul, Renee
Gonzalez, I am so grateful,Melissa Richardson-Banks here,
that I found you again.
And I'm so excited because thatmeans now I can frame this and
put it up in my home so I canenjoy it because it's such a
(23:04):
great message.
And I'd love to talk to youlater about maybe there's some
other projects because thattopography is just...
Amazing.
So that being said, I'm going toclose this out and then we'll
talk later.
So thanks again.
Thanks for this impromptu Sundaymorning interview.
SPEAKER_02 (23:21):
Yeah, thank you too.
SPEAKER_01 (23:35):
Thanks so much for listening.
So if you enjoyed this episode,Tell me, and if you didn't,
don't tell me.
I'll post it on SoundCloud, andyou can also access it from my
website, which iswww.causeconnect.net.
That's www.causeconnect.net.
(23:56):
Thanks for listening.
This
SPEAKER_01 (00:19):
is Melissa Richardson-Banks.
Welcome to Mused, LADU.
This is my podcast and I justwanted to Tell you that I'm not
perfect.
I know that's a surprise to alot of you.
I'm joking.
Anyways, I have been planningthis podcast for quite some
time.
And I got affected likeeverybody else with a pandemic.
(00:45):
And I didn't want to be apandemic podcaster, but here I
am.
All of my best laid plans wentto hell.
So I'm going to do this anyways.
So this interview today...
We Hustle Harder And when Ifound the print, which, by the
(01:30):
way, is an embossed linocut, Imust have misplaced the card
that was with it, and I justcouldn't read his handwriting.
He should have been a doctor.
So I went to social media andasked all my friends, and we had
some close, some near misses,some close calls.
(01:51):
And it wasn't until I wasscrolling in my Instagram and I
realized that It was him.
So here's my interview.
This is Melissa RichardsonBanks, and I'm getting ready to
call Raul Gonzalez because Ihave found out who the name of
the artist behind this wonderfulpiece that I have.
(02:13):
So here goes.
Hey, so hold on here.
Let me make sure we got you on.
There you go.
(02:34):
Okay.
Raul.
Perfect.
Now you're inside.
Raul.
Oh my God.
For the past two weeks, maybeI've been, I've, you know, like
everybody else during thispandemic, I've been going
through projects and things todo.
And I started going throughthings I needed to frame.
And I finally came across thispiece and And I posted on
(02:57):
Facebook because I couldn'tfigure out who did this piece.
And it's this amazing piece thatI want to know more about it.
So I'm taping you now.
So I hope you don't mind.
I'm going to interview youbecause I just am so excited to
find a person.
So you're Raul Gonzalez.
Let's first of all introduceyou.
SPEAKER_02 (03:16):
Yes, well, actually, so now I've actually started
using my middle name andeverything.
I've been going by Raul ReneGonzalez.
And the reason for that isthere's this other artist named
Raul Gonzalez from Boston, whoapparently, I guess him and I
are on the same sort of spectrumas far as, I don't know, I
(03:36):
guess...
Career-wise, I don't know.
I just get a lot of emails frompeople who mistake me for him
and vice versa.
It's been going on for aboutfour or five years.
It's crazy.
So I started just switchingeverything to Raul Rene
Gonzalez.
That way I can stand out on mywebsite.
Because I've had so many peoplecontact me like, hey, is this
your artwork?
(03:57):
Just like what you're doing,except they've been looking for
him.
So it's just been kind of funny.
UNKNOWN (04:02):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (04:02):
So on Facebook, and I guess what I finally realized
is that today we're not friendson Facebook, but actually as I
was, maybe we are, but eitherway, I know that we're on
Instagram.
You and I share, I see you.
In fact, that's what inspired meto kind of, it was the missing
clue that hit me today.
And I was going through,scrolling through like everybody
(04:25):
else, you know, we're kind ofpandemic scrolling.
And I was like, wait, what?
This could be a shortenedversion of Renee.
So you would prefer Renee?
Should I call you Raul or Renee?
No,
SPEAKER_02 (04:38):
yeah, Raul.
I just started adding my middlename.
That way my name would stand outonline,
SPEAKER_01 (04:43):
to be honest.
Okay, so just for anyone that'slooking to follow you, they need
to make sure it's Raul, ReneeGonzalez.
I appreciate that because I havethree names, too, and I...
Don't like it when peopleshorten my name to Melissa Banks
as an ex-husband, but MelissaRichardson Banks.
And just for everyone here thatbasically your Instagram, which
(05:05):
one do you prefer?
The workin underscore artistRaul Gonzalez, which is
W-E-R-K-I-N underscore artistRaul Gonzalez, or do you also
have another one?
SPEAKER_02 (05:14):
So that's, that's my, that's my personal, um, art.
No, that's my artist Instagram.
The only other one I have is foris Airbnb that I started, uh,
which is work, workhouse essay.
Yeah.
That, so yeah, I, I basicallyturned, uh, one of my studios at
home into an Airbnb as of acouple of years ago and it's, it
was going extremely well untilthe pandemic happened.
(05:36):
But, um, but yeah, you know,whatever that's, I
SPEAKER_01 (05:40):
know, right?
So I first met you probablyabout, I was just trying to
scroll through and figure out,it was probably about a year and
a half ago.
You had a show in Houston.
SPEAKER_02 (05:51):
Yeah, at the Union.
I think that's when we firstmet.
SPEAKER_01 (05:55):
Yes, yes, it was.
And I think I took somephotographs of you because I
love to photograph artists.
UNKNOWN (06:03):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (06:04):
And I, you know, I purchased it, I guess, that
evening and I didn't realize itbecause I think I tucked it away
with other flat works thinking,okay, I'm going to frame this at
some point.
And today when I was goingthrough my works that I wanted
to frame, I looked at this andwent, oh my God.
who did this, and where did I,and I couldn't remember, and I
(06:25):
kept thinking, I know, I know,it's going to hit me in the head
here.
And I put it on Facebook.
I zoomed in and said, who isthis artist?
And I even got the year wrong.
So tell me about this piece,because it was in 2014, not
2019.
And it says, We Hustle Harder.
SPEAKER_02 (06:43):
Yeah, so I made it in 2014 while I was still in
grad school at UTSA.
And so I had taken multipleprint classes so that way I can
have access to the printingstudios.
And so this one in particular,it was a lino cut.
But the one I printed all ofthem, I printed it so that way
(07:05):
each of the prints got embossed.
So I'm sure if you feel thetext, it's raised.
on all the prints so that way ithad a different like it actually
had like you know if you putyour hand across you actually
felt you actually can like readthe text
SPEAKER_01 (07:20):
that's what blew me away by the way because I you
know I collect I don't know ifyou if I told you this time I
not only do I represent acollector but I also am a
collector and I have mycollection is based on prints
and a variety of the types ofprintmaking and because there
are so many when I saw this itwas the emboss that got me so I
was really curious so I'm gladyou're sharing that again it's a
(07:40):
lino cut and it's embossed and II love
SPEAKER_02 (07:43):
it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Cause I was just, I mean, I wasdoing a lot of different type of
printing.
I was, uh, actually I, I thinkbefore I did these, I did a
series of calligraphs.
So I was already like workingwith the texture.
And so I was like, well, let medo a line of color.
Let's see if I can just get thesame type of, you know, not the
same type of texture, butobviously some, something that's
raised, um, off of the printonce I do.
(08:03):
And so, yeah, I just, and like,and then I guess when I was
designing the text, I would, Iwas thinking about, um, letters,
um, sort of, I guess,illuminated by neon lights.
And so I was thinking like, youknow, the outline of the letters
is like the glow of, would bethe glow of the light.
And so that's what I wasthinking about when I designed
the text.
And yeah, and like I said, alittle while ago, I was, just
(08:27):
the phrase, we hustle harder.
When I was drawing, you know,when I was drawing it out and
sketching out the idea, I wasactually first gonna make it
Houston Hustles Harder.
Because just because I wasthinking honestly a lot about
just, I guess at the time, Idon't know, Houston sports
teams.
And so, but then like, I guessbeing in San Antonio, there's so
(08:49):
much, there's such a big Spursculture here.
I was like, well, I don't want,I mean, let me, I'm in San
Antonio.
Let me not make something thatsays Houston hustles harder and
try to show it everywherebecause I would just piss
everybody off.
And so I was like, well, let medo it.
We hustle harder.
That way it can be about, who'sever sports team you feel like,
but also just about, and I alsostarted thinking about like, I
guess while I was in the printshop, like I made 51 of these.
(09:10):
So I just started thinking aboutlike, I guess since I was doing
a series of prints, I wasthinking also just about the
artists as like the artistscommunity.
We, we hustle harder justbecause like, I think just so
many artists have so manydifferent roles and
responsibilities and weardifferent caps.
Like they, every artist I knowhas different, multiple jobs or
(09:31):
they the work that they do theydo so much different types of
things like they you know likethey um their their spectrum
they're not their spectrum ofknowledge is why just because
like you know an artist has tolearn a lot of things to be able
to work for yourself and etc sothat's i guess that's where the
whole idea of that phrase camefrom but um yeah yeah
SPEAKER_01 (09:52):
I know, and I love it, again, and the texture
that's on here.
And, you know, I was really,when I posted this on Facebook,
I have a lot of friends who aretype specialists, and they're
like, who did those?
Because, you know, it's a verysimple thing.
sans serif typeface in someways, but when you look
carefully at this, the R's, Imean, it's just like, and I'm
(10:15):
curious a little bit about thatprocess.
And then don't let me forgetthat I also want to ask you why
51, why 51 of these prints?
I don't know if you want toaddress which of those questions
first.
SPEAKER_02 (10:27):
So the fifth, why did I do 51?
I don't know.
I mean, I know I wanted it tobe, it was, so at this point, I
only maybe had been doingprintmaking, like period, for
about, two years, maybe a yearand a half.
(10:48):
Like I, like that's all the, soI just, this, I wanted to have a
lot, like I wanted to do a largeseries.
Like I hadn't like the biggestone I had done prior to this was
I think an addition of 10.
So I was like, well, let me do,think of something that I can
do, you know, that's really big.
And so I guess I just thought51, cause I guess at the time,
at the time I was like, allright, I'm going to sell 50 and
(11:09):
keep one.
SPEAKER_00 (11:10):
Oh, that makes sense.
SPEAKER_02 (11:14):
And so like, and I did like, Most of them are blue,
but then I did make some silverones and some red ones.
I didn't sell them all.
I think I still have, in mypossession, maybe 20 or so.
Maybe about 20.
That's the number.
As far as the design of thetext...
(11:36):
I don't really remember what Iwas inspired by.
Like I said, the only thing Ican think of, like, I know at
that time I was, I was workingwith a lot of texts, like, um,
with a lot of other, uh, youknow, other, other phrases.
And I was thinking about, um,finding ways to put them in
neon.
And so this was just like, Iguess I does not like thinking
about how I would, um, you know,different ways to like, create
(12:00):
the letters with neon.
And so this was just, I don'tknow, a version of that, but
like with, I don't, I don'tknow.
That's, but as far as like theway that our sits where it's
like almost like a one and thesort of like this backwards nine
kind of leaning against, I, I, Idon't really know.
I think I just drew a number ofsketches and I was like, Oh,
this one looks, this one standsout.
(12:21):
And then, so this one, I don't
SPEAKER_01 (12:23):
know.
Awesome.
No, I, it's really, it's reallyawesome.
It's very subtle, but it's justvery, very awesome.
And I, I, And I love the color,the texture, just everything
about it.
And then what was the otherquestion?
Oh, the other question wasdealing with, now my brain just
went, I don't remember.
(12:43):
Well,
SPEAKER_02 (12:47):
you had said, you had asked about the text and
then you asked about live 51.
So I answered that one.
SPEAKER_01 (12:51):
You answered both of them.
Got it.
Okay.
Yeah.
I have COVID brain.
No,
SPEAKER_02 (12:57):
I get it.
So
SPEAKER_01 (12:58):
how are you doing right now?
So you're back in San Antonio.
I think when I, now I'm evenlooking back, I think we
actually met in 2018.
It's been a while because it hasbeen over a year.
And I know you had a show, Ithink at, is it called Houston
Baptist College or what?
There was a, you had a show, Ithought.
We're
SPEAKER_02 (13:19):
not friends on, because you're a little, we're
friends on Facebook because youhave Downtown Muse as your,
unless there's another one.
SPEAKER_01 (13:27):
Yeah, H-Town
SPEAKER_02 (13:28):
Muse.
Yeah, H-Town Muse.
So, no, we didn't meet atHouston.
SPEAKER_01 (13:34):
No, we didn't meet there, but I know you had a show
afterwards.
SPEAKER_02 (13:38):
Well, yeah, because, so, yeah, I had a show at the
Union, which I just had, it waspart of a group show, but then I
had a solo show at this space,which no longer exists at
H-Town.
It was called Forum 6.
It was inside Spring StreetStudios.
My friends, Tony Parana andEduardo Portillo.
SPEAKER_00 (13:57):
Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (13:59):
Yeah, Tony also had that mobile art space too, which
you also came through there aswell.
Yes, yes.
I had an installation set up inthere as well.
And
SPEAKER_01 (14:09):
I just found the pictures on my Instagram when we
met.
It was on July 13, 2018.
Yes.
and because I took some photosof you.
That was exactly
SPEAKER_02 (14:20):
two years ago.
Crazy.
SPEAKER_01 (14:21):
Yeah, that's crazy, right?
So, and I'll be sure and I'llupdate that because I know
you're going with your middlename on there just to have it on
there, but it's like when wemet, so pretty cool.
SPEAKER_02 (14:32):
Yeah, but no, I'm still here in San Antonio since,
I guess, since about March.
My wife's been working fromhome.
She works for UTSA.
She works in theircommunications department, so
she's been extremely busy, um,working from home and like, and
we're lucky that we have like aspare room that we basically
conferred into her office.
(14:53):
So she's in there like everyday, like eight to five.
And like some days she'll comeout, you know, intermittently
or, you know, maybe 20 minuteshere, 30 minutes there.
But for the most part, it's likeme with our two little girls who
are three and a half and fiveand a half for the whole day.
Um, which I'm used to, But, youknow, I'm not used to not being
able to take them to the park ortake them to places where they
(15:15):
can play with other kids.
And so it's been hard.
Like, I mean, for a littlewhile, I just wasn't making any
artwork for a little while.
And so I finally got back in thegroove.
But I have been working on this,and it's been ongoing for
several months.
I've been working on thiscommission for San Antonio's–
they just renovated the CityHall building.
(15:36):
So I have– I have threepaintings, or three panels,
because it's not threepaintings, it's three panels
that are about five feet tall bytwo feet wide, and each of those
panels, I've made a total ofnine paintings highlighting San
Antonio's historic sort ofmusic, like a diverse and
historic music scene,highlighting jazz, like jazz
(16:00):
bands, Tejano bands and thenalso the 80s like a few of the
heavy 80s heavy metal bands fromSan Antonio and so that deadline
keeps getting pushed back soright as far as right now I
should I mean I'll be finishedwith the work and by the end of
this week but then we're we maynot install until next I mean
(16:20):
until August originally we weresupposed to install back in
April back in April but that youknow got all pushed back now to
August so I've been working onthat and then I have um a couple
other things.
Like I have a show coming up inFort Worth, a solo show at the
Fort Worth community art center.
And that will run Septemberthrough October.
I, I got a, I got a commissionby this local collector here in
(16:44):
San Antonio who owns this, um,apartment complex that they
installed murals like this.
Uh, like I, like, um, basicallythey'll print my artwork on this
large vinyl.
That's to be about, I think it'sseven feet by 30 feet wide.
So, um, I took some of myartwork and redesigned it and
created this image that they'llinstall within the next few
(17:09):
weeks.
And that'll be up for a year.
And then also, I won a grant acouple months ago from the
Luminaria Artist Foundation ofSan Antonio.
And with that, I'm starting nextmonth.
I'm starting a new body of workwhere I'll be basically painting
(17:29):
artwork portraits or images ofother texts of other artists,
parents from Texas.
So like to be showing like, andnone, none of which who make
artwork about parenting, like Ido, but I want, and you know,
instead of just highly focusingon what I like my day-to-day
life, I'm going to, I'm going tobe doing, I'm starting with six
artists and they're going to beworking with them to collect
(17:50):
photographs of how they sort ofwanted to just depict themselves
of how they balance being anartist and a parent.
And then I'm going to be, um,doing all those in as oil
paintings
SPEAKER_01 (18:00):
oh my god
SPEAKER_02 (18:01):
and that'll be for a show that's a show that'll open
next year so
SPEAKER_01 (18:06):
you're keeping busy so maybe it's like you are
hustling harder
SPEAKER_02 (18:10):
yeah no i'm i'm i'm super busy i'm i'm glad my like
all my deadlines are spread outso i can like because i mean i I
try to work every day, but somedays it just doesn't happen.
I'm just too exhausted from, um,if I, we have a busy day where
we're running outside with thekids who seem like they never
seem to run out of energy.
Um, you know, I may not work,but no, yeah, I'm totally like,
(18:32):
you know, busting my butt,trying to keep things moving and
chugging along and doing what Igot to do.
Um, amidst all, you know, amidstwhat's going on right now.
I mean, I can't, just sit on mythumbs and hope for uh you know
another stimulus check oh no
SPEAKER_01 (18:46):
well i'm really so a couple things like one thing you
said really resonated with mebecause um it was dealing with
the fact that you've beenworking by yourself or at least
it at home or in solitude if youwill not going out somewhere and
i've been doing that for nearly20 years myself and i you know i
i I think it's kind of a mindgame, as you said, because
(19:08):
you're basically doing yourroutine that you've been doing,
except you have to think moreabout where you can go or not
go.
It's not like I can go have anescape, like I go work at the
local coffee shop, or I can gowork with someone else
elsewhere, or I can't just, ohmy gosh, I need to get this.
So it has...
done that and that's been likeit does mess with your mind on
(19:29):
that way so i think for me it'shaving a routine and i hear you
saying that and it's alsostudying not only the routine
but also a schedule for myselfand then immersing in projects
and i definitely hear you doingthat
SPEAKER_02 (19:43):
yeah definitely it's definitely helped um for sure
SPEAKER_01 (19:47):
and another thing you mentioned i you are you are
originally from houston Correct?
SPEAKER_02 (19:51):
Yeah.
I'm born and raised in Houston.
I grew up in North Central.
I'll just say Central.
If I say North Central, peoplethink Spring or something.
I grew about eight minutesoutside of Not even, like the
second exit out of downtown,that's where I grew up, like 45
and Cavalcade were like aroundthe corner from Canino's, that
(20:13):
produce.
SPEAKER_01 (20:14):
Oh my God, I love that place.
Yes, are you
SPEAKER_02 (20:15):
kidding?
We used to, from our apartmentwe grew up, we used to walk over
there like every about once amonth to go get, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (20:23):
When I first moved here, my brother took me there
because he has a pecan tree andthey had, you could go and you
could actually get your pecans,you just dump in a bag of your
pecans and it would sell them.
And I laughed because I took apicture when I first got here.
It says, we'll crack your nuts.
My brother's in the front of it.
I'm like, what?
(20:44):
But anyways, and it's over onair.
That's airline, right?
SPEAKER_02 (20:47):
Yeah.
So I grew up like right aroundthe corner because there's like
a the intersection airline andcavalcade.
And there, there's apartmentsthat have got revamped fairly
recently.
And there was like a post officeacross, like I grew up right
there.
Um, but I, yeah, so I moved toSan Antonio in 2012, um, for,
for grad school.
And then after grad school, wejust settled down here.
(21:09):
Um,
SPEAKER_01 (21:09):
awesome.
SPEAKER_02 (21:10):
It was a lot more affordable than Houston.
So, um,
SPEAKER_01 (21:13):
I, I'm just so excited to reconnect with you
and I, you
SPEAKER_02 (21:16):
know, super unexpected and, uh, just
awesome.
Yeah.
Thanks.
It's just, cool
SPEAKER_01 (21:23):
well what I'd like to do is I'll go ahead and I'll
post this impromptu interview onmy website and I'll put your We
Hustle Harder and it sounds likeyou do have maybe 20 prints left
so maybe you could send me alink to where if someone's
interested in purchasing the WeHustle Harder I'm glad I have
one of the low numbers but Iknow that there's others I'm
(21:46):
sure and I'd love to get moreinformation about your other
shows so people know what you'redoing and I'll Put a little bio
so people know more informationabout you and how to follow you.
SPEAKER_02 (21:56):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Thanks so much.
SPEAKER_01 (21:58):
Well, this was great.
It was a treat.
And I'm really excited and I'mglad to hear you're doing well.
And I really love, again, thatconnection, that work that you
do, balancing parents and beinga parent and being an artist.
And I think that's reallyanother topic I'd love to
explore with you at a laterdate.
SPEAKER_02 (22:18):
Yeah, and it's awesome that, like, just like me
getting into that topic.
I've like just in Houston andSan Antonio, I made a list of
all the artists, parents, andsome who are like couples.
Like I have like a list of like20 people.
And so I'm like, once I do thisbody of work, I'm gonna keep
doing it for like, I'm gonna doa whole series where it's like
artists, couples who have been,you know, and there's like so
many, it's crazy.
(22:38):
Like more than way more than Ieven like would have expected,
but it's a pretty cool.
SPEAKER_01 (22:42):
Well, I'd love to talk to you again on another
date, just on that topic alone.
Um, but for right now, what I'dlove to say is Raul, Renee
Gonzalez, I am so grateful,Melissa Richardson-Banks here,
that I found you again.
And I'm so excited because thatmeans now I can frame this and
put it up in my home so I canenjoy it because it's such a
(23:04):
great message.
And I'd love to talk to youlater about maybe there's some
other projects because thattopography is just...
Amazing.
So that being said, I'm going toclose this out and then we'll
talk later.
So thanks again.
Thanks for this impromptu Sundaymorning interview.
SPEAKER_02 (23:21):
Yeah, thank you too.
SPEAKER_01 (23:35):
Thanks so much for listening.
So if you enjoyed this episode,Tell me, and if you didn't,
don't tell me.
I'll post it on SoundCloud, andyou can also access it from my
website, which iswww.causeconnect.net.
That's www.causeconnect.net.
(23:56):
Thanks for listening.
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