Carlos Rios
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Carlos Rios is a Colombia-born artist known for his floral still lifes and decorative studio prints, many of which were produced in the 1980s and 1990s by American art publishers such as Scafa-Tornabene and Bernard Editions. Born in Colombia, Carlos Rios began his training at the Academia Superior de Arte and Bellas Artes in Colombia, then moved to the US in 1965 to further his education at the Paier College of Art in Connecticut. Soon after, due to his talent and eager ambitions, Carlos quickly established a following of admirers who acknowledged his genuine gift of recognizing and recording fleeting moments.
Rios works across a range of media, and his output is notable for its versatility rather than a single signature style. Carlos works in oils, acrylics, pastels and watercolors, with a style and taste that is eclectic, ranging from impressionistic to contemporary. He is constantly experimenting and creating new works, as well as researching and developing new materials, media and ideas to use in the creation of new pieces. This adaptability made him a prolific source of decorative imagery for the licensed print market, where his floral and botanical compositions, along with landscape and figurative subjects, were widely reproduced as lithographs and offset prints for the home-decor trade during the 1980s.
The collectibility of Rios's work lies chiefly in this decorative print legacy: his original paintings and prints are in collections and exhibits throughout the world, and examples of his work can be found in many foreign embassies. While mass-produced studio prints of this era are common and generally modest in value, signed examples in good condition remain popular with collectors of vintage American decorative art, particularly those drawn to the soft pastel palettes and idealized floral still lifes characteristic of his catalog. Carlos Rios has lived with his family in Milford, Connecticut, where he and his wife resided for over 30 years.
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