By Ezequiel Ramos |Staff Writer|

Downtown Riverside is home to the Riverside Art Museum, a place that houses unique and interesting paintings and sculptures.

The location of this museum allows the community to choose between a day or night visit with many restaurants and various attractions for an enjoyable experience.

Walking into the museum, an individual can feel the artistic atmosphere of this establishment.

Upon entering, it is difficult to miss the beautifully centered patio, surrounded by plants and trees, and an abstract painting that captures the eye.

To the left of the entrance, the exhibit “Baby Tattooville” has two unique portraits.

One of these paintings is acrylic on wood: “The Last Voyage II” by Jeff Soto.

I really enjoyed this portrait, as the shapes, colors, and characters captivated the viewer.

The portrait consists of an old ship in the middle ground that has various characters, one with elongated arms and legs, similar to a Tim Burton film.

The artist effectively uses color in the background, giving the setting of a sunset, with light beaming behind the steep mountains and plains.

The portrait depicts a dark valley leading into the foreground, then onto the plains of the foreground.

I felt that this was a chilling and unique illustration that could pass for a cover of a Halloween film or a poster.

Another portrait from this exhibit consisted of a woman surrounded by all black.

This painting was unique, as the emphasis was on a woman who had a big open heart in the middle of her chest, consisting of hearts and stars coming out, leading to the left and right of the foreground.

The meaning of this painting is left ambiguous, but I believe it portrayed a woman expressing her feelings into a galaxy of emotions.

One more exhibit that really caught my attention was the Riverside Sister City Children’s Friendship Exhibit.
This exhibit was full of illustrations by children from Ensenada, Mexico.

One of the children’s illustrations whose name was Dulce illustrated a turtle that was swimming underwater with bubbles and coral in the background.

This was a simple painting, yet very effective.

Having recently watched the film “Finding Nemo,” I appreciated the shading and emphasis of the turtle.

Art comes in various forms, allowing any artist to express their feelings or emotions

It is meant to be felt from within, allowing your mind to wander.

The Riverside Art Museum is open everyday from 10 to 4 p.m.

As the holidays are rapidly Downtown Riverside is the place to be for a cute date or night out with friends.