Conrad Ruiz
New Fall Lineup
It may take a minute to recognize the background of New Fall Lineup by Conrad Ruiz —the colors are tweaked into a world of cartoon and candy, and it is covered by leaping energetic figures and flying squirrels. One realizes, though, that the image is of the World Trade Center exploding into flame, creating a strange contrast with the painting’s colors and the other images. The combination is peculiar because the role the explosion serves here is non-specific. The image loses its totemic weight, as it seems to not matter what particular explosion this is. The picture exists in a strange cultural subconscious of flight, candy, blockbuster movies, and the news, tied together by delicate tight painting.
Conrad Ruiz makes watercolor paintings of fantastic scenes. Bursts of color and energy sit behind flying figures and animals. Images become painted patterns, as rows of repeated objects and buildings' striations verge on geometric abstraction. Ruiz' identifies his work with the "ultimate boy zone", and the connection is clear. His paintings are populated by explosions, giant sharks, and athletes. Ruiz creates his painting carefully, tracing projected images and carefully following lines. The semi-transparency of his watercolor fills gives his otherwise firm images a shimmering quality, contributing to their overall impression of dreamy unreality.