Photo by Robbie Jeffers, 2017
Richard “Ricky” Watts
Born 1980 in San Francisco, California.
Richard Watts' obsession with art began at an early age. As a child, he loved comics, especially doodling his own. Most often involving glorious battles between the U.S. Army and nuclear dinosaurs. In school, he drew his peers' names in exchange for bartered items. By high school, his entrepreneurial efforts were funding his daily lunches. High school was also when Watts discovered the underground world of graffiti art. Fascinated with spray paint as a medium, he became fully engaged in creating elaborate pieces under the cover of night. After graduation, he traveled up and down the west coast, painting large-scale pieces on every surface he could find.
In 2000, interested in expanding his skill set, Watts enrolled at the Advertising Arts College in San Diego with an emphasis in graphic design. Unsatisfied, he left after two years and returned home to the bay area to pursue more fine art ventures. In 2004, his debut solo show "Spontaneous Combustion" opened in Petaluma, California. He flirted with multiple painting styles for a number of years before developing his current abstract style of colors and movement. This came about in 2012, as a deconstruction of the letter shapes he was producing on canvas at the time. It was a lightbulb moment for Ricky and he put everything else on hold to follow the path of this new-formed style.
Today, Ricky’s colorful large-scale murals and intricate paintings on canvas can be found throughout the United States. His commissions list includes major works for Google, Skechers and the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco. Ricky Watts currently works out of his Northern California studio and spends his “free time” raising energetic five-year-old twins.
2023 Modesto Children's Museum - Modesto, CA 80'x30'
2023 West Edge - Los Angeles, CA 8'x16' (x2)
2023 Senor Grubby's - Carlsbad, CA 30'x15'
2023 BREW - Forestville, CA 48'x5'
2023 Fishetarian - Bodega Bay, CA 22'x12'
2022 Bright Walls - Jackson, MI 39'x48'
2022 OuterSpace Project - Atlanta, GA 85'x18'
2022 The Mural Project - Santa Rosa, CA 42'x9'
2022 Wide Open Walls - Roseville, CA 25'x70'
2022 Tampa Walls - Tampa, FL 89'x31'
2021 SHINE® Mural Festival - St. Petersburg, FL 100'x48'
2021 Sea Walls - Santa Cruz, CA 30'x45'
2021 Cleveland Walls - Cleveland, OH 85’x20’
2021 Arts Fest Montana - Great Falls, MT 40’x25’
2021 Color The Creek - Battle Creek, MI 75’x18’
2021 Larkin Street at Bay - San Francisco, CA 52’x8’
2020 Downtown Walnut Creek, CA 22'x9'
2020 REN ART WLK - Rensselaer, IN 84’ x 31’
2020 Only Up Mural Festival - Livermore, CA 90’x18’
2019 CAL Bears Mural - Berkeley, CA 13’ x 8’
2019 Painted Gentlemen at Alamo Square - San Francisco, CA 8’ x 8’
2018 Riley Street Art Supply - Santa Rosa, CA 32’ x 16’
2018 Daredevils and Queens - Santa Rosa, CA 24’ x 10’
2018 POW!WOW! Hawai’i (collab with James Bullough) - Honolulu, HI 72’ x 20’
2017 POW!WOW! San Jose - San Jose, CA 91' x 27'
2017 SHINE® Mural Festival - St. Petersburg, FL 36' x 18'
2017 The Container Yard - Los Angeles, CA 85' x 16'
2016 Blacklist Gallery & Tattoo - Portland, OR 26' x 10'
2016 San Leandro Utility Box - San Leandro, CA
2016 Fresh Coat at Jamieson Ranch (collab mural) - Napa, CA 108' x 15'
2016 Jack London Square Utility Box, Oakland, CA
2015 SHINE® Mural Festival - St. Petersburg, FL 98’ x 37’
2015 South Bay Expo - San Jose, CA 24’ x 8’
2015 The Container Yard - Los Angeles, CA 45’ x 21’
2015 Outer-Space Project - Atlanta, GA 65’ x 18’
2015 Burners and BBQ (collab mural) - Asheville, NC 144’ x 21’
2015 1 Brush Initiative - San Francisco, CA 15’ x 37’
2014 FLAX Art Store - San Mateo, CA 14’ x 7’
2014 Rocha Gallery - San Francisco, CA 16’ x 16’
2014 RAI Care Center, Haight St. (collab mural) - San Francisco, CA 43’ x 24’
2013 The Phoenix Theater - Petaluma, CA 60‘ x 50’
2012 Bancroft Way at Roosevelt St. - Berkeley, CA 28‘ x 13’
2022 "Pursuit of Hoppiness" - Fogbelt Brewing Co, Santa Rosa, CA
2019 “New Paintings by Ricky Watts” - Sotheby’s, Oakland, CA
2017 "The Artwork of Ricky Watts" - Leave Your Mark, Sacramento, CA
2016 "Levitation" – Upper Playground / Fifty24PDX Gallery, Portland, OR
2015 "Home Grown" – Opera House Collective, Petaluma, CA
2014 "VINTAGE" – 1192 Folsom, San Francisco, CA
2014 "MonochromANTICS" – Buddha's Palm, Sebastopol, CA
2013 "Destination Unknown" – ZeroFriends, Oakland, CA
2013 "The Artwork of Ricky Watts" – Patrick Evan Salon, San Francisco, CA
2011 "Superstitious" – Starstruck, Petaluma, CA
2011 "Down the Rabbit Hole" – Buddha's Palm, Sebastopol, CA
2009 "Postcards from the Subconscious" – Blacklist Gallery, Portland, OR
2008 "Cataclysm" – Mail Depot, Petaluma, CA
2007 "Here and Now" – Daredevils & Queens, Santa Rosa, CA
2006 "Ricky Watts" – Blacklist Gallery, Portland, OR
2006 "Untitled" – Chrissy Bee, San Francisco, CA
2005 "Reoccurring Nightmares" – Triumph, San Rafael, CA
2004 "Spontaneous Combustion" – Boomerang Gallery, Petaluma, CA
2022 "Day 1's" - 1CULTURE Gallery, San Jose, CA
2021 “I Only Have To Land It Once” - Blackbook Gallery, Denver, CO
2021 “SHINE 2021 Exhibition” - Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, FL
2021 “The Art of Art”, curated by Michael Cuffe - Modern Eden, San Francisco, CA
2020 “Small Victories”, curated by ThinkSpace Projects - Museum of Art & History, Lancaster, CA
2020 “Mother Earth: We Are All One”, curated by ThinkSpace Projects - Los Angeles, CA
2020 "POW! WOW! Hawai’i", curated by ThinkSpace Projects - Honolulu, HI
2019 Moniker Art Fair, curated by ThinkSpace Projects - London, England
2019 "LAX / ORD II”, curated by ThinkSpace Projects - Vertical Gallery, Chicago, IL
2019 "LAX / SFO Part III", curated by ThinkSpace Projects - Heron Arts, San Francisco, CA
2019 "POW! WOW! Hawai’i 2019", curated by ThinkSpace Projects - Honolulu, HI
2018 "Locals Only" - Mirus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2018 7th Annual "12x12 Group Show" (SCOPE Art Fair, Miami) - ThinkSpace Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2018 "2 Troglodytes Swimming Upstream in a River of Breakdancing Flies" - two-person exhibit with Chris Jehly - Agent Ink Gallery, Santa Rosa, CA
2018 "LAX / PDX II" (curated by ThinkSpace Projects) - Antler Gallery, Portland, OR
2018 "12x12 Group Show" - SPOKE ART, San Francisco, CA
2018 "POW! WOW! x 1xRUN 2018 Print Exhibition" - Lana Lane Studios, Honolulu, HI
2017 "Outside In" - (Mural Installation) Behar + Peteranecz Architecture, St. Petersburg, FL
2017 "Sonoma County Art Relief" - Agent Ink Gallery, Santa Rosa, CA
2017 "Colors | Lines | Layers" - CASS Contemporary, Tampa, FL
2016 "510 All-Stars Round Two" - Nielsen Arts, Berkeley, CA
2016 "212 Arts Anniversary Exhibit" - 212 Arts, New York, NY
2016 "A Better View: Spring Group Exhibition" - ABV Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2016 "Lower Branch Anniversary Show" - 111 Minna, San Francisco, CA
2016 "LEGENDS" - Oakland Terminal, Oakland, CA
2016 "A Bizare Legacy" - Arthouse, Fresno, CA
2016 "Keep Our Eyes Open - Precita Eyes benefit " - 1AM Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2015 "Leave A Message 2" – Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, FL
2015 "Back 2 Basics" – Exact Science Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2015 "ZeroFriends Takeover"– Upper Playground / Fifty24PDX Gallery, Portland, OR
2015 "Outer Space Project" – ABV Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2015 "Burners and BBQ" – The Mothlight, Asheville, NC
2015 "Creativity Takes Courage" – Prince Gallery, Petaluma, CA
2015 "Width x Height" - two-person show with Jared Powell – Lux Quaubas Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2015 "City Minded" – Luna Rienne Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2014 "Holiday Party" – Ian Ross Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2014 "Affordable Art Series" – Luna Rienne Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2014 "Basel House" – A Better View (ABV) Pop-Up Gallery, Miami, FL
2014 "Burners and BBQ" – The Satellite Gallery, Asheville, NC
2014 "Decked Out" – Olive Hyde Art Gallery, Fremont, CA
2014 "Godzilla Group Show" – A Shop Called Quest, Los Angeles, CA
2014 "Ontogenesis" – Zodiacs, Petaluma, CA
2013 "Cosmic Terrain" – Petaluma Arts Center, Petaluma, CA
2013 "Chromatic Neurosis" – LeQueVive Gallery, Oakland, CA
2013 "Graffiti Fine Art (GFA) Expo" – Graffiti House L.A., Los Angeles, CA
2013 "Possibilities are Endless" – Sacramento State University, Sacramento, CA
2013 "Project One Walls" – Project One Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2013 "Tetrachromatic" – Arch Enemy Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2013 "Vice-Versa" – Lower Branch Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2012 "Ceci n'est pas une galerie" – Project One Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2012 "Special Delivery" – Endless Canvas, Berkeley, CA
2012 "Altered" – Finley Community Center, Santa Rosa, CA
2012 "Monsters of Art Christmas Exhibit" – Monsters of Art Gallery, London, England
2012 "Twenty-One Gun Salute" – Backyard Boogie, San Rafael, CA
2011 "Art Attack" – Madrone Studios, San Francisco, CA
2011 "Lower Branch" – 111 Minna, San Francisco, CA
2011 "Lords vs. Cobras" – Project One, San Francisco, CA
2011 "The Broken Windows Theory" – Subspace Art Gallery, Culver City, CA
2011 "Graffiti Gumbo" – Backyard Boogie, San Rafael, CA
2011 "Hybrid" – Log Cabin, San Anselmo, CA
2011 "GOLD" – Project One, San Francisco, CA
2011 "Holiday Art Show" – Shoe Biz Valencia, San Francisco, CA
2010 "The Graff Show" – Terminal 22, Oakland, CA
2010 "Against the Grain" – Space Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2010 "Esoteric" – Space Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2010 "NSUBORDINATE" – Eastside Art Alliance, Oakland, CA
2010 "North of the Bay" – Arlene Francis Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, CA
2010 "Bad Seed Grand Opening" – Bad Seed Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2010 "Under Two Hundo" – Brief Space, San Francisco, CA
2010 "Reap What You Sow" – Mail Depot, Petaluma, CA
2009 "Circle of Life" – 1AM Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2009 "ReconsidART" – Mail Depot, Petaluma, CA
2009 "YELP Holiday Party" – Westin St. Francis, San Francisco, CA
2008 "Night of the Treeple" – Club 6, San Francisco, CA
2008 "Acarophobia" – Buddha's Palm, Sebastopol, CA
2008 "How Well Do You Remember?" – POV Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2007 "Collabro NYC" – The Showroom, New York City, NY
2007 "Suite Jesus" – 111 Minna, San Francisco, CA
2007 "Running With the Animals in the Darkness" – Cool Cat Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2007 "Pacific Art Collective's, COLLABO" – Canvas Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2006 "Collabro" – Anno Domino Gallery, San Jose, CA
2006 "I'm Alive" – The Tin Shed, Oakland, CA
2006 "Cultural Xposure" – San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA
2005 "Tunnel Vision" – Boomerang Gallery, Petaluma, CA
2004 "Spray Mardi Gras" – Buddha Breath, San Diego, CA
2004 "The Brown Baggers" – Studio Z, San Francisco, CA
2003 "Signs of Life" – Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA
2003 "[new works]" – Insection Gallery, Santa Rosa, CA
2003 "Art Union 86" – Cachi Art Studio, San Francisco, CA
