Rick Araluce

Seattle, WA

Growing up in Encino, California, Rick Araluce explored many different artistic methods and media. He has worked for many years in the realm of miniatures, though his former position as lead scenic artist for the Seattle Opera also allowed him to create on a larger scale. Araluce’s captivating sculptures and installations often emphasize themes of nostalgia, emptiness, tension, darkness, and hidden narrative, and have evolved to include elements of sound, light and motion. As a direct result of his work at MadArt Studio, in 2017 Araluce created a massive, immersive, installation environment which was commissioned for the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He also created artistic environments for Hotel Greene, an immersive, indoor miniature golf course in Richmond, VA. He is represented by Roq La Rue Gallery in Seattle, as well as several other national galleries. His achievements include the Pollock/Krasner Foundation support grant (2008), the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Award (2009), and a Guggenheim fellowship (2015).