Kenny once saw only red, but today sees a collage of bravery in blue.
Here are the police images artist Kenny Ruiz deplores the most today:
- A woman caught on camera spitting on demonstrators against the Chicago Mayor for turning his back on police officers. The Fraternal Order of Police were accusing the Mayor of “pandering to police-hating media” as union members held signs reading “Blue Lives Matter.”
- Then there were the NFL kneelers during the National Anthem. That bothered Ruiz who believes the vast majority of police do not abuse blacks or other minorities.
All this anti-police sentiment upsets the entrepreneur, designer and performer Ruiz who once had good reason to hate police when they arrested him.
For years his talent was zooming like the fast cars he adores, but it wasn’t without surviving some harrowing curves on city streets that nearly wrecked his dreams in Chicago.
As a child, he was a burgeoning graffiti artist on the streets of Humbolt Park in the heart of Chicago, where the aspiring artist began slipping into a dark world. His involvement with gangs became the catalyst for his mother later moving her young family into the bright Florida sunshine.
But it wasn’t before Kenny was arrested and the Puerto Rican lad was roughed up by police in the process, but it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
“I simply wasn’t who they thought I was. I was found not guilty on the most serious charges, and the charge I was convicted on, they gave me credit for time I had served and that charge was overturned.
“The cops who had pushed me around back then were not representative of all the police I have come to know and respect ever since,” he said.
Today Ruiz’ creations can be found in his thriving gallery and business, Magchop, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There you’ll find his unique collage portraits, otherwise known as giclee art that today adorn many modern digs and stately mansions around Florida.
In Florida, Kenny began making new friends who introduced him to what would become an infatuation with low rider and muscle cars after feeling the power of what was under the hood along with the outlandish stunts. The hobby became a long-term diversion and part of the tapestry found in much of the car enthusiast’s artwork today.
Today Kenny is one of Florida’s fast rising artists, who found his niche following his mother’s motto: “feel the pain, ride the storm, then get up, heal and live.”
The talented collage artist has had his share of struggles riding the storm as an artist with a passion for creative expression so blazingly evident in his works. Whether producing captivating giclée portraits or designing swimsuits, his talent is reaching summits of imagination.
Today Kenny’s talent has come to the attention of celebrities and A-listers worldwide. Soon it will rocket to new heights at that cinematic celebrity collage, the Cannes Film Festival, where he’ll be one of its official sponsors. At the same time he’s making stunning headway in the fashion world with his ultra-chic swimsuits and memorabilia.
While he actively supports charities in his community, he looks up to those whom he feels are getting an undeserving bad image, the vast majority of police officers who bravely serve and protect yet sadly are occasionally unfairly spat upon.