Artist Bio:       

    Reina has always been an artist in some form or another and has been extremely blessed to be surrounded by both creativity and compassion. The spawn of artistic masters, Tim and Cindy Urban, she, her sister and brother are inherently creative persons.  Growing up in the desert of Santa Fe, New Mexico and later moving to the urban jungle of Chicago, Illinois she has always found herself among the most beautiful people and places that continue to inspire her creative endeavors.   

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Artist Statement:

    “Urban Psycho” is not only the name of my art career, but it is an identity.  The name was created out of two things very important to me and that led me to create the art I do today.  “Urban” is my last name, my family name, and I would not be who I am without my family and my support group.  The “Psycho” part is a little more complicated to explain; back in the summer of 2012, I began a journey of self-discovery and healing after finally admitting that I needed some serious professional help.  

    I always knew there was something not quite right, but I was too scared and too stubborn to admit it.  Thankfully, there was (and still is) a person in my life -- my then-boyfriend, now-husband -- who saw me clearer than I could see myself and gently nudged me in the direction of the recovery I desperately needed.  During that time of group therapy, psychiatrics, psychoanalysis, rehab programs and visits to the neurologist, I began coloring mandalas -- you know, the kind you find in “adult” coloring books -- as a suggested type of art therapy.  Eventually, as I continued my mental and physical healing process, I got bored with the coloring books and started creating my own designs to keep my overly-active brain occupied. Many of those designs are the ones that you see in my professional collection today.  I did not start out with the intent of turning my coping mechanism into a business which is why, when I finally decided to take that next step with my art, it was very important to me to acknowledge the circumstances that bore the artform.  

    I am proud to call myself a Psycho because there is absolutely nothing wrong with admitting that not everything is okay and that my recovery will be a life-long process.  My psychosis may have led me to some dark places, but it has also led me to the colorful world that I have often referred to as “my brain on paper”. By sharing my art with others there are two things I hope to accomplish: 1) for anyone out there who feels lost, alone, scared or afraid of being seen as “crazy” to know that there is hope and help and “crazy” isn’t a bad thing; 2) for people to feel something when they look at my art without having to understand what it means, because the meaning is different for everyone and there is no right or wrong. 

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