“My work is greatly influenced by my upbringing.”
I was born in Jersey City, New Jersey to parents who migrated from Puerto Rico. They met in Manhattan where they both worked in different factories. Mami (mother) made quilts and Papi (father) made cardboard boxes. They worked all the time so my rearing was mostly delegated to relatives who had more free time. Another cheap and easy way to keep me busy as a child was by giving me crayons and coloring books. I consider coloring books to be my greatest primary introduction into visual languages such as Art.
As an Artist, I focus primarily on the human head by way of “the portrait”. For me, the human head is both subject and object, both fascinating and bewildering. Sometimes, these heads look like other people but in reality, they are self-portraits. I also enjoy painting other things, such as circles, bricks, bottles and windows.
I often create these images using rubber combs that are either store bought or that I fashion myself. Ultimately however, it is the entire process that goes into the making of my marks, the making of my work, that gives me the most satisfaction.
EDUCATION
Tyler School of Art, Temple University, M.F.A./ Painting, Spring, 1998
University of Illinois at Chicago, Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1993
Jersey City State College, Studies in Commercial Art, 1978 to 1982
RESIDENCIES
"The Corporation at Yaddo"; Saratoga Springs, May 1999
"Future Faculty Fellow", Tyler School of Art, Temple University, 1996-1998
"Vision and Rationality", Temple in Rome Seminar, Summer 1997
“Yale Summer Arts Fellowship", Norfolk, Connecticut, 1992
INSTRUCTION
“EXPERIMENTS IN DRAWING” - Artist/Critic, Fall Session 2023, Rhode Island School Of Design, Providence, R.I.
ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR, Summer 1998-Spring 1999, Advanced Painting, Figure Drawing and Drawing With Computers, Tyler School of Art/ Temple University, Elkins Park, PA.
“PROJECT PINKEYE”- A two-day drawing workshop for young adults presented at The Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center, Bronx, NY., January 10th and 17th, 2014.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
"SUPER" a grouping of Brick paintings from 2013-14, and one figurative painting from 2022, Ashmont Grill, Dorchester, MA.. 7/24/2022-9/26/2022.
"MARITZA RANERO"; RECENT PAINTINGS”, Philadelphia Art Alliance, 3/28-5/7/00,
"VISITING ARTIST", Amy Schlegel-Curator, Artemisia, Chicago, IL, 1996
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
“HOLD FAST; STAY TRUE” April 24-May 1rst 2024. at the Rogers Free Library in collaboration with the Bristol Art Museum. Curated by Naomi Slipp, Art Historian, and an Endowed Chair at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. The show’s theme is one in which the artists visually interpret and draws inspiration from the novel “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville.
"FIERY FODDER" Nov.25,2023-Jan. 14,2024, Curated by Angela Dufresne, Bushel Collective, Delhi, N.Y.
"NOIR" 2023, an online juried exhibition curated by Amy Matterson Neill for ART FLUENT.COM
"NATIONAL PRIZE SHOW" 2023 by the Cambridge Art Association, May 19th - July 7th, 2023.Juried by Robin Cembalest and presented at the Kathryn Schultz Gallery and University Place Gallery, Cambridge, MA.
"LIBRARY" -a site-specific group show curated by Glen Goldberg, May 7th-June 18th, 2023, Tappeto Volante Gallery, 26 13th Street, Brooklyn, NY
"THE 34th ANNUAL HPAA MEMBERS EXHIBITION" Hosted by the Hyde Park Art Association at Boston City Hall. Juried by Kennym Mascary, Anita Morson-Matra, Jared Staley and curated by Sasha Lucas. This is both an in-person exhibition at Boston City Hall and an online exhibit at the HPAA website. On view starting APRIL 19th- August 1rst, 2023.
"BITTERSWEET" at Gallery 263, Cambridge MA., Feb.9th to March 11th, 2023. Juried by Vanessa LeRoy, Photographer ad Editor based in Massachusetts.
"SURFACE TENSION" Curated by Angela Dufresne and Meena Hasan, Rhode Island School of Design Painting Gallery, Nov.15th-Dec. 14th.2022, Memorial Hall, RISD, Providence, RI.
"THE 33RD ANNUAL HPAA MEMBERS EXHIBITION" Hosted by the Hyde Park Art Association at Boston City Hall. Awards juried by John Crowley and curated by Sasha Lucas. This is both an in-person exhibition at Boston City Hall and an online exhibition at HPAA. On view starting APRIL 19th- August 1rst, 2022.
"THE DRAWING EXHIBITION" Hosted by the Hyde Park Art Association at The Menino Art Center. Juried by Scott Bakal and curated by Sasha Lucas. This is both an in person and online exhibition. On view starting February 7th - April 3rd, 2022.
"COLLAGES AND CONSTRUCTIONS" Hosted by the Hyde Park Art Association at The Menino Art Center. Juried by Ekua Holmes and curated by Sasha Lucas.This is both an in person and online exhibition. On view starting August 2nd- October 1rst, 2021.
"BEST IN SHOW" recipient at THE 32nd ANNUAL HPAA MEMBERS EXHIBITION Hosted by the Hyde Park Art Association at The Menino Art Center. Awards juried by John Crowley and curated by Sasha Lucas. This is both an in-person exhibition at Boston City Hall and an online exhibition at HPAA. On view starting May 2nd- August 1rst, 2021.
"STORYLINES” Juried by James Everett Stanley, Artist and Asst. Prof. at Mass College of Art and Design, February 18th to March 20th, 2021, Gallery 263, Cambridge Mass.
"FACT vs. FICTION" Gallery 263, Cambridge MA., Dec. 3rd to Jan. 9th, 2021. This is a group show juried by Sam Adams, current Koch Curatorial Fellow at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum.
"RED; PART I" The Kathryn Schultz Gallery in Cambridge MA. Dec 1rst-17th 2020. This is a group show of New England Artist created/hosted by Cambridge Art Association and juried by Layla Bermeo, Assoc. Curator of American Painting at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Ma.
"WORKS ON PAPER", THE ART GUILD of Port Washington, Manhasset NY, October 1-25, 2020
"THE REAL TO SURREAL" Hosted by the Hyde Park Art Association at The Menino Art Center. This is an online exhibition juried by Julie Beck, Assistant Director at The Academy of Realist Art in Boston MA.
"SENSATION, FEELING AND TEXTURE" A group exhibition curated by Vivian Poey.Nov. 7th to Dec. 7th, 2019, at Gallery 263, Cambridge, MA.
“MANIFEST DISMANTLING" a two-night screening of experimental moving images. Curated by Mobius Artists Margaret Bellafiore and El Putnam, Oct 31rst-Nov. 1rst at the CYBERARTS GALLERY, 150 Green Street Jamaica Plain in Boston Ma.
"THE FAY CHANDLER EMERGING ARTIST AWARD" 2019, A Group Show of New and Emerging Artist in The City of Boston. 2019 Art Associations' Invitational, a juried exhibition of Artists from Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, West Roxbury, Dorchester, Roxbury, Dedham and Milton Art Associations, Sept 5-Oct 30, Merino Art Center, Hyde Park, MA.
"RENDERING LIKENESS/VOLUME 2", MAY 31rst-June 24th, 2019. Curated by Johnny Thornton, La Bodega Gallery, Brooklyn NY.
"TRANSCENDENCE", Juried by Antonius Tin Bui; this group show responds to and questions gender constructs in our current society. March 1-31, 2019, at the International Arts &Artist at Hillyer Contemporary Arts Center, Washington, DC.
"ART, GRIEF AND THE LAND", A Group Show juried and curated by Patricia Miranda, Cambridge Art Association, January 8 - February 2, 2019, at University Place Gallery.
"THE FAY CHANDLER EMERGING ARTIST AWARDS" 2018, A Group Show of New and Emerging Artist in the City of Boston. Juried by Paul Ha, Abigail Santinsky and Martina Tanga at The Scollay Square Gallery, Boston City Hall. August 6 - Sept. 21, 2018.
"DICE FROM THAT ANCIENT GAME", March and April 2018, a show of video and sound, curated by Lynne Ghenov at C for Courtside Gallery in Knoxville Tennessee.
"THY MAJESTIC EYE; AND ONLY THUS" organized by Ruben Ghenov and Christopher Ulivo, May 27th-June 18th, 2017, at Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Los Angeles California.
"EN COMUNIDAD" Works by Latin Queer, Transgender Artist, Sept 23-30 40th Street Artist-in-Residence Program and Curated by Wit Lopez.
"ALWAYS ALREADY HERE", Vol. 2, Curated by Joshua Bienko, Gallery Protocol, March 18, 2016.
"FUCK HEADS" 2010 curated by Angela Dufresne, traveling to KINKEAD GALLERY in Culver City, L.A., California and SCA Contemporary Gallery in Albuquerque, N.M.
"(SUB)URBAN" Oct.8-Nov.20,2004 at Urban Space: A Bridge Spotters Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA. A group show that examines class & cultural semiotics. Curated by Ayanah Moor, Prof. Of Printmaking; Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.
"ILLUMINAIRES" Jan.2-24, 2003 An exhibition and sale of original artwork by past exhibitioners to benefit the Galleries at Moore College of Art and Design.
"PROVINCETOWN INVITATIONAL 2002" A group exhibition of artist chosen by current artist.
"THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT" Sept.-Oct.2002 at The Harlem Flophouse, Harlem NYC.
"ABSTRACT VARIATIONS" Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, PA, Sept. 1999; curated by David Reed and Head Curator Lisa Milandri.
"ARTIST SELECTIONS I" a 2-part exhibition representing Latin American and Caribbean Heritages, Feb.1998, Artemisia Gallery Chicago IL.
“NEW AMERICAN TALENT; THE THIRTEENTH EXHIBITION", 1997, also chosen for the 2-year traveling juried exhibition (1997-1999). Curated by Robert Storr, Dept. of Contemporary Painting and Sculpture, Museum of Modern Art, New York.
"MUJERES de PELO EN PECHO", Northwestern University Settlement House, Chicago, 1995
"FACULTY AND STAFF SHOW*, Columbia College, Chicago, Il., Spring 1995
“THE CAR WASH SHOW” the International Arts Center Workshop, Chicago, IL, 1994
GRANTS/AWARDS
"OPPORTUNITY FUND AWARD" The City of Boston, November 20, 2018
"CULTURAL SECTOR RECOVERY GRANT" Mass Cultural Council, March 2023