Artist Portrait – Victor Sales: Fire Ruby Fine Art

Victor's real name sounds as fiery as the colors of his pictures: Roberto Gonzalez Rodriguez. His stage name “Sales” came from a Spanish play on words. The black-haired Guatemalan has a sense of humor, and this unbridled joy of life is also reflected in his works. It was 2012 when the artist entered the Austrian stage. “I was a souvenir from a woman from Eisenstadt who was on holiday in my native country,” he laughed.

He always knew that his work had to be creative. He considered becoming a writer, but soon discovered that completing a book took a long time and that words were limited in scope.

This was the point at which he turned first to photography, then to drawing, which provided him with the greatest opportunities for artistic development. Metal plate forms the basis of his images. The possibility of it being etched and the reflectivity of the surface, which when viewed can become part of a work of art for a moment of its existence, is what fascinates Victor Sills about this surface.

Uniqueness is like magic

The engraving process creates works that cannot be exactly replicated. Very many factors influence the final result: metal composition, angle of introduction into the corrosive fluid, humidity, etc. Unpredictability – this has its charm.

It may take several weeks for the artwork to be completed. Several steps must be completed: preparing the metal plate by hand, making a digital drawing, printing it on a self-adhesive film and applying it to the metal, and cutting out the parts to be etched from the film.

You have to think about what should be in the foreground, what should be in the back, how to suggest 3D, and where the light should have any effect. Color is used only after neutralization. The painter was particularly fascinated by the colorful, translucent alcohol inks that flowed into circular shapes and interacted happily with light, just as metal does. Acrylic paints, spray paints, and dyes also add color. Glossy, semi-gloss, matte – it's all possible.

Ten years of the “Art House Project”

10 years ago, Victor Sells founded the “Art House Project” in Eisenstadt with his then wife. Complete success! In his home, living spaces were used to give lesser-known artists the opportunity to display their work. The response was so great that 250 guests attended one exhibition. It's time to look for a new location. It became a large light-flooded studio in Donnerskirchen.

Every September, Victor Sales organizes “Trans Form Arte” in the old PädAk in Eisenstadt, a large art fair where you can get to know the artists and enjoy their works over the weekend. The “Art House Project” association has already given the opportunity to 120 painters from 20 countries and four continents to show what they can do. Naturally, there are more projects coming in 2024.

Future plans and new paths

“Painting on the Hill” will be performed four times, the next time on April 25. Victor Sales and Cleo Ruiz will spend a Thursday at Leo Hillinger's winery with other interested artists and illustrators – with an inspiring glass of wine, of course. Victor's work will be shown at fashion designer La Hong in Vienna, in pop-up solo exhibitions, and he also wants to visit our German neighbours. Enjoy your work!