Artist Highlight: The World of João Ruas

As a fan of commissioned and fan art prints for almost a decade, I continue to look more into the portfolios of different artists that I can buy work from and can inspire my own art. One artist that caught my attention over the last year comes from Sao Paulo, Brazil. João Ruas is a traditional artist that graduated from Anhembi Morumbi University with a degree in Design. His work has been shown in shown in multiple exhibits in Los Angeles and Jersey City with work done for multiple high clients, ranging from The New York Times to MONDO. His art has a sense of dread to it while also feeling light. The surreal nature of his work makes you wonder how this world function while also reflecting some elements of familiarity to the world we live in. His work is a beautiful blend of old world textures and current day, with a blend of fantasy. On his website, Ruas describes his work as being inspired by “the dawn of mankind, folklore, magical realism, the concept of wabi-sabi (侘寂) and human conflict.”

Below is a gallery of some of Ruas’ artwork. Please note, all images belong to him.

João Ruas is an artist that continues to impress me with every update he provides. I love his blend of natural elements (flowers, animals), humanity, and illusions of danger and death. I want to continue to see his work and hopefully see him have more shows of his art in galleries in the States, especially in the Southeast.

How can you see more?

João Ruas is an active artist with a presence on multiple social media sites. You can see his work on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Ruas also has his own website as well. If you are interested in supporting his work, you can also visit his Patreon page. Through his Patreon, you can join one of the three membership levels: Feral Kid ($5 a month), Wolf Shepherd ($17 a month), and Good Citizen ($27 a month). These memberships would allow you to gain access to more of Ruas’ work as he posted updates. The second tier allows you to see works in progress, along with a yearly mini-print, and early access to prints. The third tier, Good Citizen, also allows you to get a yearly print to add to your collection.