Junior Rodriguez was born in 1976 in San Jose, Costa Rica. His interest in art began during his early teen years in school, in what was then called, plastic arts class. Having spent most of his summers by the sea, his love for surfing developed at a young age.
At 19 years old, Junior left Costa Rica on his own, and moved to The United States. It was during his 8 years in New York, that Junior's love of art became his passion. Exploring the incredibly diverse art museums of New York opened a world of color, texture and possibilities. He began a self-taught journey, experimenting with different mediums and techniques, which would lead to the unique style you can see in his art today. After 8 years in New York, Junior came back to his homeland with a new set of eyes and the desire to create art that had the power to make people feel what he feels when in the water … ALIVE.
Junior is known for his vibrantly colored surf art. As an avid surfer, elements of surf exist in almost all his paintings, including his signature surf board. Each painting is a representation of life and being alive – with elements of water, earth, emotion and movement. Where each wave ends, another begins … and so goes his paintings.
What makes his paintings so unique is that he allows his imagination to flow, without thought or judgement … he just paints what's in his mind in that moment. The result allows the viewer a very real, raw human connection. It is life - the beauty and the pain, the calm and the chaos, the determined and the unpredictable. Just as one can find themselves staring at the endless sea, entranced by the depths and mystery, the same experience happens when looking at a Junior Rodriguez painting. Layered and textured with color after color, each time you experience something different. Junior's intentions as an artist are to create colorful art that makes people feel connected and happy.
Junior now lives and works in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, where he has recently opened his own gallery, Art Gallery Café.