Souther Recio is the inaugural artist for the RGCR program hosted by Trucha and Carla Hughes. Their work aims to explore the complexities of being queer in the valley and all of the traumas associated with that. They rely on form and color to help express big emotions. Their character “Flower Pal” is a depiction of the queer person who has always existed within them, wait to be set free. Recio also uses mixed media such as found objects, old fences, and googley eyes to further express their experience. Recio was born and raised in the valley where they attended high school at St. Joseph’s Academy. They went on to receive their Bachelors of Art from St. Edward’s University in Austin Texas. Currently they own and operate a small screen printing and creative studio, Tree Haus Creative, with their fiancé Austin Linkinhoker.