About

I never wanted my work to look like everyone else's.

I'm Rick F. Alvarez. I paint as 305 Rick. Navy veteran, FIU twice over, commercial real estate by trade, up at 4am to paint.

One canvas in 2020.

I have been creative since I was a kid. I did well in graphic arts and woodshop, not because I was the best at drawing, but because I liked finding ways to do things differently. I did not chase it. My first painting was the only one I made in 2020. Two in 2021, a couple more in 2022, and it kept going.

Then I went all in.

I held back because I do not do anything halfway. Putting the work out there meant committing to being as good as I could possibly get. In 2025 I started creating like crazy. The late Miami artist Lebo said if you want to be great you have to create as much as possible. That stuck.

It all comes from here.

Bold, colorful, textured pieces made with acrylics, oils, spray paint and mixed media. Robot characters, hand lettering, 305 pride, and things people here recognize on sight. I want it to feel fun, powerful, and true to the place that made me.

I did not come up the usual way.

No traditional art background. Navy, worked my way through school, built a career in commercial real estate, then leaned all the way into this. That road is what I bring to the canvas: a different perspective, and a work ethic that does not quit.

Detail from PRINT: Harry (18x12")

“I may be the one holding the paintbrush, but there are a lot of people behind the scenes who have supported, encouraged, and believed in what I'm building.”
Rick, to Voyage MIA, March 2026