Zen Del Rio:A Day with the Romans

On August 17^th, Zen Del Rio was honored, and respects were paid at a paddle out at RAT Beach in Palos Verdes Estates, California.

There were a large number of people, coming in from all over the South Bay and beyong; there to share hugs with others who loved Zen for the same reason. Zen’s passions ran deep; driven by a lifetime of spirited moments, shared with those who came to say goodbye.

Zen’s magic came naturally, and it was crafted into his artistic approach to color and nature; giving way to a one-of-a-kind soul that never judged, always welcomed, faced it all; fearless in heart, always leaving room for a story or two right when you needed to hear one. Father, friend, brother, uncle, teacher, husband, surfer, fearless warrior.

Zen was born in 1957, the youngest of three children. His gift of art welcomed him the day he entered this world thanks to the teaching and gifts passed down from his world-famous artist mother, Gemma Taccogna.

Gemma and her three children; Juan, Gemma and Zen moved to Palos Verdes in 1966; a place to call home, where they made lifelong friends who remember Zen’s school years as the stand-up comic who kept it real even back then. The Del Rio house was open to all; friends would come by, sometimes stay way too long, but that was ok. The Del Rio family was the coolest.

The gifts Zen had for art left him no doubt at a very young age, he was going to add some color to the scene. Palos Verdes and Zen became best friends. His creative spirit and the peninsula met on an artistic level; leading him to create works of art seen everywhere locally and throughout the world. His gift brought a visual articulation to the essence of PV. His brush strokes are unmistakably Zen Del Rio.

And like any truly spirited artistic soul, seeing nature wasn’t enough. He had to be part of it; surfing was the connection; his board was the bridge between him and everything that he put on canvas. One art form complimented the other, and Zen’s approach to it all allowed him to take his art to the next level by teaching it to his students.

“God give me a sign that I can do this…right then a huge white owl took a pass at my head almost clawing me. As it flew into the distance I got chicken skin and the funny feeling of serendipity that everything was going as planned.”
-Zen Del Rio

The title of this painting is The White Owl, This quote was taken from a Facebook post, Zen shared this painting was inspired by witnessing the biggest surf he’d ever seen and wondering if he could survive if something went wrong.

And like everyone else who knew Zen, his students loved him. He had a way of replacing insecurity with confidence and giving young minds completion and pride. He taught art, he enriched lives, he opened doors.

If you met him once, you had a friend for life. He had ‘family’ all over the world, his closest friends labeled ‘Romans’, representing the ones who are there no matter what, willing to stand up and face the giants of the world with him. Zen’s refusal of fear gave him popularity, especially at the beach; facing waves that others wouldn’t dare try.

Zen was the consummate surfer; home grown and self-taught. His no fear approach allowed for some crazy scenes with the waves. It didn’t matter how big the wave was. If he could get it, he got it. It was met without doubt. His confidence and familial relationship with the ocean put him in legendary status early on. And like his artistic style, there was no mistaking Zen Del Rio riding a wave.

Thirty years ago, he named his son Roman, after the meaningful representation the name took on in his life; describing the best of the best. Zen loved being Roman’s dad and the day he was born was the best day of Zen’s life.

His wife of over fifteen years, Diana complimented all the aspects of Zen that made him who he was. Love of sea and surf, providing balance and light to his artistic soul, fulfilling the extraordinary dynamics that gave Zen the ability to be who he was.

And with the beauty and colorful presence an artistic soul presents, sometimes comes the anthesis in forms that aren’t overcome. Zen stood up and fought depression with the same might he put into everything he wanted to accomplish. As time went on, Zen grew tired while the battle remained relentless. On June 30th, at the age of 68, his fight came to an end.

His departure left months long profound impacts on those who love him. His paddle out was beautiful, but it was difficult to have some of those feelings. And as Zen would insist, his Romans were there ready to take it on. And they were, for Zen. 

To see Zen’s art you can access his website Here: https://zendelrio.wixsite.com/website