When Sabrina Rios was five years old, her father walked out on the family, but the love for art that he instilled within her remained.
“My dad was the one who introduced me to art,” she said. “He was the artistic one in the family.”
Trying to escape the trauma of her father’s sudden disappearance from her life, Rios would draw and paint all the time. Through her passion, she discovered that her art could be used to inspire others.
Now, she shares that passion through her online business, Art by Bean.
When Rios was in high school, she received compliments on her artwork, so she began selling it.
“I feel like art makes people happy,” she said. “I just want my art to make someone’s day better.”
After graduating high school, she attended Long Beach City College but decided that it was not the right choice for her.
“I went to LBCC for two years then I stopped, so everything as far as art is self-taught,” she said. “Art is what I wanted to do as my career, so I thought I could put my work out there and see what others thought and how they reacted to it.”
After working for a short time as a billing manager at Integrated Behavioral Health, she left to run her own online business out of Long Beach
She said that she was motivated by her sister, Amanda, who adored art, but passed away seven years ago.
“She pushed me to put my art out there,” she said.
Rios recently received her first major artwork, tasked with designing a mural for the Beachy Waves Hair Salon in Long Beach. On Sept. 27, Rios announced on the Art by Bean Instagram that her first major art project had been completed. The mural took a total of nine days.
“It was my first mural and type of project that large scale, so I love that one the most at the moment,” she said.
Apart from selling her art, Rios also participates in workshops all throughout the Southern California area. Most recently she gave a workshop at the City Charter Middle School in Los Angeles California, in collaboration with Our Little Stand, a pottery business she met at the Open Market OC.
The Open Market OC consists of small businesses that range from art, fashion, beauty and handmade items.
The Open Market OC has two shops, one at the MainPlace Mall in Santa Ana and at Laguna Hills Mall in Laguna Hills. Rios said the Open Market OC was an important step in the growth of her business.
“It’s a great network to connect with small other business owners and artists,” she said. “It’s a place to build your business from the ground up.”
For updates about her workshops and new art pieces, visit the Art by Bean Instagram and website.