August, 2016
Local Artist
Rick Uribe T Skin Wars Season Three Winner! | By: KRYSTA AYERS photography by: LISA ROSE/GSN |
he cliché about art being a way to
Robin Solnina, owner of Skin City Body
over telephone lines. There are still buildings
express yourself, and in turn make
Painting in Las Vegas; and Craig Tracy, owner
in Juarez that have murals done by him and
other people feel things, may be tired
of Craig Tracy Fine Art Bodypainting Gallery,
he tells me that he goes back whenever he
– but it is very true. Rick Uribe, 22,
to choose a winner. Not only did Uribe make
can to touch up on them. It was at the age of
is a local body painter, tattoo
it onto the show, traveling to Los Angeles
12 when his love of art became a realization
artist and muralist and knows
for the filming, he was also the youngest
for him. He laughs as he tells me that he was
a little about turning personal hurdles and
contestant and…(drum roll, please) the
the type of student that spent most of his
life experiences into something that other
Season Three Winner of Skin Wars! In the
class time drawing instead of taking notes. At
people can feel through his work. For many
season finale, that aired just last month on
the young age of 15 he started tattooing as a
who have grown up on this border town –
June 29, Uribe was announced the winner
hobby. People now come to him for lettering,
where Ciudad Juarez and El Paso merge
after weeks of challenges and blowing the
custom scripts and fonts. The community of
into one beautiful, functioning community,
judges’ minds with his work.
artists has also been key to his development and motivation to construct murals in the city
the story of violence and survival can be
and do what he loves.
relatable. But to the rest of the world, it’s just
To recap just a little, Uribe grew up in Ciudad
another newspaper headline or online story.
Juarez, when the violence and chaos was at
Rick Uribe, with his talent and freedom of
its high point. His mother, who he credits for
“The community has been very supportive,”
expression through art, has put El Paso on
all of his success, moved him and his family
he tells me. When I talked to Uribe, the
the map and made his community proud.
to El Paso in the pursuance of happiness, the
announcement of his win was still weeks
American Dream and peace. “I would not
away but the community was already
If you have not watched TV lately then
be here today if it wasn’t for my mom,” he
responding to his accomplishments in the
you probably haven’t heard about the
says. This is the story he took with him to
most supportive ways. He was already
accomplishments Uribe has artfully scored
Skin Wars; the story that impacted judges
getting more people asking for him at
this past year. Allow me to fill you in. Uribe
and still impacts the art that he creates on a
Inklination Tattoo, the tattoo shop that he
was a contestant on GSN’s “Skin Wars”
daily basis.
works at and he was seeing more people on social media responding and reacting to his
and also served as a mentor on the spinoff
journey on Skin Wars.
show, “Skin Wars: Fresh Paint.” On the
Since his rise to fame, Uribe has become
show Skin Wars, contestants from all over
extremely busy. I was able to catch him on
the world compete against each other and
the phone for an interview while he was in
The TV show was a different experience for
go through different challenges in order for
El Paso, just before he left to travel again.
the El Paso artist. “[I have to ask friends and
judges RuPaul, host of RuPaul’s Drag Race;
“Graffiti started everything,” Uribe tells me
family] ‘Can I watch your TV?’” he tells me
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