Paul W. Ruiz: Excavado
Paul W. Ruiz is an Australian artist whose solo exhibition Excavado reveals an interest in the masters of the past.
Ruiz’s progression to practicing as an artist was not a straightforward one, with Ruiz first undertaking study in law before he realised that he wanted to connect with his creative side through painting and drawing. His early years of image making faced some restrictions, as Ruiz highlights that often the logistics of the task interfered with his focus. “I was unsettled with the imagery I was exploring, and I rarely had the funds to experiment on the scale or with the materials I preferred,” he said. This experience along with learning how to push through harsh feedback taught him the resilience and resistance that he would need to succeed.
Ruiz has since refined his influences and own unique style, which centres primarily on individuals and the human form. While Ruiz often refers to the impact that past artists have had on him – such as the School of London painters – he maintains awareness about the daily influence of interactions he has with other people. “It begins with responding to a curiosity I have about human form. I studied people on public transport for many years as a student, and then around town, bars or cafes. I was always intrigued by seeing others interact with their world.”
It is not only individual’s interaction with the physical world that fascinates Ruiz, but also how social media and the digital space allows him to tap “into a consciousness that is so rich in imagery it really augments the storehouse of images you have at your disposal.” He holds a conscious need to “balance the virtual out with real world influences.” Highlighting that to him, painting is a genre that needs time to incubate and allow for ideas to take shape within his own mind.
An array of sources informs Ruiz’s paintings and this sees him work across photography, observation and memory. He highlights that he never abandons working from a live model, viewing this as an essential raw material. Working with a human figure can at times be an intimidating one, due to the unique experience of drawing someone that you may have known for years. “It requires a willingness to be open and vulnerable (on both sides), to commit your mental and emotional resources.”
Working so closely with another human in the creative process allows the subject’s presence to become part of the work. “The subject’s mindset and positioning affects you – once we reach a point of feeling less self-conscious though it can become an acute and intense synergy which affects every decision noted through charcoal or with the camera.” Ruiz weaves his own story in with that of the subject he is painting. After the preliminary work is done Ruiz rarely paints with the model in the studio. “The extension to a studio session is about responding to what is left over after my subject goes home, and then you are left with another influence altogether – the influence of memory.”
From these initial ideas and studies his works can take anywhere from a few hours to a number of years to finish a work. The modelling session fuels the initial stages, but from here it becomes cumulative. A work can be started by Ruiz, but put aside for a length of time, only to be returned to weeks later; the influences of time in-between added to the painting. “When you give a painting breathing space, naturally different aspects of your life and all of its developments will converge and become new influences on your work.” There are also times when Ruiz highlights that it is best to step away from a work, or completely rework it. “Salvaging a work, retrieving a painting to restore what was once abandoned, is a beautiful notion to me – like unearthing an old artifact.”
Despite the amount of external influence for Ruiz, painting for him appears to come down to quite personal reasons. “I paint because painting continues to embody for me as much ritual, mystery and surprise as one encounters in life itself. A little darkness too, but mainly light.”
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Excavado opens on Thursday 18 September and will run until Sunday 12 October 2014 at Lindberg Galleries, Melbourne, Australia.
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Gràcies!!!