An Urban Artist Digests the City
I had seen a couple of Ramon Ramirez’s paintings at art shows but it wasn’t until a Mental Menudo meeting in Los Angeles that I was able to meet Ramon. Somehow the subject of the Cafe came up and when Ramon asked if there was anything he could do to support the cafe I immediately asked him for an article. I’m excited to feature Roman because of his work and interest in architecture. I enjoy Ramon’s use of texture, brush work, color and interpretive compositions in his paintings, and I know you’ll enjoy them too.
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BFC: What are some of your most memorable experiences growing up in East LA?
I can honestly say that my schooling was my most positive memorable experience. I still have fond memories of Mrs. Muniz (Kindergarten, Eastman Elementary.) all the way to Mr. Bennett (Garfield High). Education has always been big with me.
BFC: What influence did your parents have in your youth?
They never forced education down our throats but I remember having an encyclopedia set at a very early age (I have two sisters and between us we have degrees from Berkeley, Columbia, Harvard, Stanford, UCLA + Yale). I was reading about Medieval Europe in the second grade, at home. Also, my mom would also take us to museums on the RTD bus line. I think we went from East LA to LACMA on the bus a few times. So yeah, they had a positive influence.
BFC: When did you start drawing and realized that you had an artistic ability?
I remember drawing at an early age but I don’t ever think the idea of art being an ‘ability’ occurred to me until college. I just drew because that’s what I did.
BFC: Do you remember any single neighborhood event in your life that influenced you to become an artist?
No, my neighborhood was pretty tough, so I spent a lot of time indoors. I saw a lot of interiors growing up. I didn’t know art could be a profession until well into my college career, and even then I had some doubts.
BFC: On your website you say that you created chalkboard murals in high school. Can you tell us about your high school years?
They were quite boring, actually. I was a big nerd that happened to be a heavy drinker (peer pressure, tu sabes). I took about 6 or 7 A.P. classes (and passed most of them, I think AP Physics kicked my ass) but I also remember being kicked out of many local libraries, along with my buddies, for drinking while studying. During lunch I would occasionally stay in doors and draw on the chalkboards. I guess I was ok at it, ‘cause my teachers left them up for a few weeks.
BFC: What were your interests at that time?
The usual, girls, booze + rock n’ roll (Iron Maiden, Metallica, Sabbath; I actually cry when George Lopez does flashbacks of himself in High School, that’s me he’s making fun of, the bastard!). Oh, and don’t forget school. I had perfect attendance and graduated with a 4.3 G.P.A.
BFC: There’s a perception that East LA is a negative environment. How did you overcome that negative perception and work yourself into college?
There are positive things and negative things about every community. I think family, friends and school helped me focus and allowed me to achieve my goals. My girlfriend at the time was heading to M.I.T., so I figured I had to do something with my time while she was away.
BFC: When you went to college, did you enter as an art major?
No. I was accepted as an architecture major at Berkeley. Interestingly enough, I applied to USC as a business major, UCLA as an Aerospace Engineer and Cal Poly (can’t remember what major at Poly, but it’s the only school that I didn’t get into so I guess I’m trying to put it out of my mind).
BFC: Again, according to your website, you list many influences for your art but architecture seems to be your main focus of study. Did you discover architecture in college or did you already have an interest before you went to school?
My college counselor recommended architecture to me. I won a summer scholarship to study Architecture at USC and have never looked back. I went on to get my undergraduate degree in Architecture, and then my Masters in Architecture and then my MA as well, all from CAL, go bears!
BFC: What makes architecture interesting to you and how does it affect your approach to your paintings?
Architecture is interesting because it is a world event. When you visit a different country, you take pictures of their buildings & monuments. And that’s what you bring back. So architecture shapes our lives in a very direct way. As far as my approach in my paintings, I consider myself an ‘urban’ painter. I paint the city, not to replicate it, but to digest it and to understand the trends and social conditions that it generates.
BFC: Currently, can you tell us what direction your work is taking you?
Well, I can tell you that it’s leading me to places I’ve never dreamed of. When I was at Berkeley, I would nervously laugh at abstract art, and now, I’m comfortable with it. I actually switch from abstract to representational from one painting to the next. And I think that has to do with studying the city. You can see a variety of styles in the city, depending on how hard you look.
BFC: We’ve noticed that you have a good size list of collectors. What do collectors say about your work?
I’m really into providing multiple interpretations in my work. Last month I was talking with a recently married couple regarding one of my abstract paintings and their interpretation really took me by surprise. The male component interpreted the painting as an interior, and the woman component interpreted the same painting as the State of California. To me that was a huge complement. I intended something entirely different, however, my goal is to provide art that can spark conversation and let you bring your own memories and sensibilities to the table.
BFC: You have a show coming up at Woodbury University. Can you tell us about the show?
This show has many ‘firsts’ for me. It is the first show that is sponsored in part by a grant, thus I don’t have to worry about the commercial aspect of art. I can pursue art at a critical and intellectual level. Second, it is the first time that I have collaborators that are helping me with a few of the pieces. The collaboration is critical for addressing the formation of the city. Third, I have a curator from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Jose Gamez, Ph.D.) and we have been communicating over the Internet and sending each other jpegs and things of the sort. The Internet has been a critical tool for allowing me to communicate my vision. And last, it is the first time that I will be displaying some of my largest works. One painting is 12 feet long and another is 8 feet long. I know there are bigger paintings in the world, but for me that’s a big step. So yeah, I’m excited about the show on multiple fronts.
EDITOR NOTE: The show has closed
See Ramon’s work in BF Cafe Gallery
visit Ramon’s web site: www.jaguarland.com
pm03/07
