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Ruben Ubiera is not new to art. As a matter of fact, he's been drawing and painting ever since he can remember. Born in the Dominican Republic in 1975, he grew up with a Catholic
upbringing and constant tutelage from his family.
He was educated in drawing, painting and art history by his uncle; a self-taught artist and art teacher, priest and principal of his school. At the age of 15, his family moved to the Bronx, NY, where he was heavily influenced by the grafitti art that surrounded him, something he wouldn't realize until much later in his life. After a year of absorbing the urban landscape, he went back to the Dominican Republic for another year, until
finally finishing his high school studies at Salem High School, in Salem, MA.
Heavily involved in art, Ruben managed to win silver and gold medals in the Boston Globe's Scholastic Awards, a Union Latina Scholarship and a full-tuition Fernando Botero's International Scholarship to the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in Fort Lauderdale, FL., for which he competed angainst 60,000 students from over 32 countries. Although his portfolio was stolen two months
before graduation, Ruben accomplished to not only create a new collection of pieces, but win Best Portfolio of his graduating class.
After graduating, Ruben became an Art Director for accounts such as IBM, Citrix, Pro Player Stadium, Vestax, Hunter Douglas, Sony, the Florida Marlins, Laura Munder Fine Jewelry, to mention a few. His concepts, campaigns, designs and illustrations have won numerous prizes and Addy Awards. But even though he loves graphic design, Ruben's real passion is painting and drawing with any medium he can get his hands on.
"I love art. Grafitti, typography, photography, print... the medium does not matter. If the message and the concept are strong, the final end result will always be strong. The key is to find the medium that will complement the concept. I like to paint on wood and found objects. They carry a rustic appeal that I find to be beautiful. Mixing graphic design on printed pieces with
brightly colored paint onto old, worn objects, makes the final art look antiquated, decayed and very interesting to the eye and to the touch. I
paint what I see, what surrounds me.
The cosmopolitan city with all of its wonders and aberrations, the life of a Latino in the United States, and any piece of popular culture that comes to mind. But what I really like to paint
is portraits. I love using collages to describe people and the history that got them to where they are today, the mix of hard graphic shapes, typographic elements with anthropomorphic surrealistic images. Contrast in concept, and
in execution..."
Today Ruben Ubiera resides in South Florida, where he paints and draws profusely
every day from his home and studio.
He wouldn't have it any other way.
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