Art by Dicky
About The artist
Richard Alatorre was born in Seattle on April 5th, 1982. His artwork has been an important part of his life from the time he was a young boy, and in to his adulthood, his art became a way to process and explore the many challenges and traumas he endured through his troubled childhood, and his life on and off the streets that started at age 12 and lasted well into his mid to late 20’s. Many of his drawings and sketches are raw and personal, and they represent parts of his ongoing struggles as he makes his way to recovery, forgiveness, self-exploration, acceptance, and self- love.
Change is hard work; it is relentlessly challenging and requires ongoing effort and continuous inner work. Despite Richard’s triumphs and despite the newly found strength and hope initially found in sobriety and self-improvement, the demons of the past, surface continuously and for every step forward, those demons creep up and threaten the path of progress.
It is always a relentless battle, and Richard is often reminded that change requires hard work ,and hard work brings not only change…but it also uncovers without pause, forgotten or buried traumas that claw their way out of hiding and threaten to stomp out any newly found hope, growth and safety. The fight is continuous and in order to survive, there is no option to hide this time.
Through the up’s and down’s of Richard’s own inner work, and as he struggles with identity, recovery, and personal growth, his artwork has been a therapeutic part of this ongoing process. He hopes that by sharing his personal struggles and the many stories he tells through his artwork, that he can help others who struggle with addiction, PTSD, trauma, and other mental health disorders.
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Art by Dicky