Artist John Dingler loses his 25-year Riverside studio to make way for a needed railroad underpass, taking with him a singular creative ecosystem where digital art bloomed and the unglamorous work of supporting galleries happened month after month.
Artist Loses 25-Year Studio to Railroad Underpass, Creative Prompt on Clouds.
A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.
Artist Loses 25-Year Studio to Railroad Underpass, Creative Prompt on Clouds.
Sunday Gazette: October 12, 2025
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Artist John Dingler loses his 25-year Riverside studio to make way for a needed railroad underpass, taking with him a singular creative ecosystem where digital art bloomed and the unglamorous work of supporting galleries happened month after month.
The Third Street railroad underpass will unclog a vital artery into downtown Riverside, eliminating a bottleneck that has frustrated thousands of drivers for decades. When complete, traffic will flow seamlessly beneath the tracks near the 91 freeway, and most people will only remember that they used to have to wait for trains there.
What most won't remember is John Dingler used to live there.
For 25 years, Dingler has lived and worked in an arched-roof building tucked into a dusty lot beside those same tracks. His 1968 Chevy van sits out front, needing a little work before it could be considered roadworthy. The space doesn't look like much from the street, just another industrial remnant in a collection of hodgepodge storage units and work spaces. But inside is where Dingler becomes someone else entirely.
This is where John Dingler lives, but Gianni Trieste works.
From left to right: John Dingler outside his studio home beside his 1968 Chevy van near the railroad tracks, John with his vibrant digital artworks featuring geometric forms and political commentary. (David Fouts)
Born in Trieste, Italy, Dingler moved to the United States as a teenager, eventually settling in Riverside after routing through the East Coast and a stint at the University of Maryland. The space he found a quarter-century ago suited him perfectly: an open warehouse with concrete arches that reminded him of the architectural heritage he'd left behind.
The impending displacement has nothing to do with neglect or violation. The city has followed eminent domain procedures and provided relocation assistance. The underpass project serves the greater good, eliminating a traffic choke point that affects thousands of commuters daily. There is no bad guy in this story, only the inevitable tension between individual attachment and civic necessity.
"I love it here, because I wouldn't want to move from this place," Dingler says. "I've got everything here. I've got Smart and Final across the street. I've got my gym three blocks down, downtown. Mission Inn is five blocks away. I've got the Santa Ana River Trail, where I ride my bicycle."
The bicycle matters. Dingler is an avid cyclist, and those rides along the river trail have become part of his rhythm, as integral to his creative process as the work he does inside the studio.
After 25 years, that bicycle ride, that grocery store, that proximity to downtown have become the infrastructure of a life. When he first moved in, Dingler thought $650 a month was expensive. The Pomona space he's found to replace this one will cost $3,500 monthly.
But the financial strain represents only the surface disruption. Inside his warehouse, Dingler has created something that defies easy categorization. As Gianni Trieste, he produces digital compositions that blend shocking color palettes with sparse geometric forms, political commentary with pure visual pleasure.
His work operates on multiple levels simultaneously. UFO Girl, a recurring character in his paintings, delivers pointed critiques of trade policy and postal privatization. Other pieces feature Hindu nagas - serpentine figures that wind through digital landscapes. When asked about their symbolic significance, Dingler deflates any mystical interpretation.
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A prompt to encourage your practice of creativity this week from Riversider and local author Larry Burns.
This week, our creative nudge might seem too obvious: clouds. I pride myself on finding interesting ways to transform anything into a creative exercise for this column. But cloud watching is inherently creative. This is something we've all done, a simple, whimsical pastime from childhood. No one needs to be told to look at clouds. They are endlessly fascinating and watchable.
But when was the last time you truly gave yourself a few intentional minutes to lie down, sit back, and stare at the sky? With the change of seasons, the skies over Riverside offer a dramatic, ever-shifting display of clouds at all times of day. It's time to return to this classic form of creative play with a more intentional gaze.
Clouds are a wonderful symbol for the creative process. Made of countless water droplets and a little dirt, they are a vast, formless collection of potential, all coalescing into something tangible and defined. In the same way, our best ideas often begin as an unorganized mist of thoughts and feelings before taking on a concrete shape.
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