Maria Haag

Born  in the Bronx New York, Rapheal grew up in a household that strongly  believed in the importance of the arts and education. He was influenced  by his mother who was an illustrator and his father, a painter. When he  was only 5 years old, he was bitten by the entrepreneur bug when a woman  offered him money for his drawings. These early influences and events  lead him to open a boutique clothing store, selling customizable  clothing and shoes by the time he was in high school. After receiving  his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in 2007, he  began to work as a graphic artist and animator for a major media network  in Times Square. After numerous years in the media field, Rapheal  relocated to Dallas, Texas where he began his career as a full-time  artist in 2014.

Rapheal's  work is done in oil paint, with the focuses on the beauty of New York  City and now life in Texas. His visions derive from memories and  experiences which connect the viewer and their own nostalgia. The evoked  emotion from each viewer gives Rapheal a push to continuously create  meaningful and thought-provoking bodies of work.