Artist Biography
Frances Ruiz, a Puerto Rican artist residing in Indiana for two decades, transitioned from creating art as a recreational and spiritual pursuit to dedicating herself to it full-time in 2020. Her collage paintings are crafted by skillfully combining various media with paper. Her upbringing in Puerto Rico, her experiences in Indiana, and other personal anecdotes serve as the primary inspirations for her work. Ruiz employs vibrant organic colors and dynamic lines to evoke movement and convey a sense of emotion in her compositions. Her ultimate objective is to infuse her paintings with joy and positive sentiments, leaving a lasting impression on viewers. Her art has been aptly described as “painting with paper” due to the intricate details and precise representation in her representational collages, which bring her subjects to life.
Ruiz is a proud member of The Hoosier Art Salon, the Hamilton County Artists Association, Indy Latina Artists (ILA), and the Fishers’ Creative Council. She has recently been selected by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Arts Council as one of the “Welcome Race Fans 2025” artists. She has been recognized twice as a Hoosier Women Artist by the Indiana Arts Commission and Indiana Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch (2023, 2024). She was awarded Best Floral or Other at the Hamilton County Artists Juried Show (2023) and Third Place in the Global Virtual Orange Exhibition at De Moir Gallery (2024). She has exhibited her artworks in numerous galleries throughout Marion and Hamilton County, including at the Newfields Museum of Art of Indianapolis, the Indy Arts Council’s Gallery 924, Indy’s Global Village (2023, 2024), and at the City Hall Art Gallery in Fishers.
Currently, she is engaged in corporate commissions for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IU Health, and developing new artworks for forthcoming exhibitions. Frances is part of the Latino Artist Mentorship Program (LAMP) Leadership Team, fulfilling her commitment to promoting diversity awareness within her community, particularly to foster a positive impact for future generations of Latinos.
Vejigante de Loíza #2
Vejigante de Ponce
Artist Statement
I take with me wherever I am in the world the perfect unity of three cultures in my Puerto Rican heritage, Taíno, Spanish, and African. The figure of the Vejigante, a tradition that we inherited from Spain during the Feast of St. James, is the perfect example of this mixed heritage. The vejigante was adopted and transformed into an iconic figure found only within Puerto Rican culture. It possesses the Taíno mastery of color and mask making, which has been passed for generations; the Bomba and Plena songs and dances influenced by our African roots, and the Spanish history of how the vejigantes were figures meant to fight off evil spirits to aid St. James in defeating the Moors.
In Vejigante de Loíza #2, I wanted to reflect on how the northeastern part of the Island was more influenced by Taíno mask makers, who used coconuts and sticks to create their masks. Their attire is colorful, but simpler, not pompous. It is a coastal town; therefore, I placed this Vejigante in a coastal setting, with Taíno symbols embedded in the artwork. This is also the birthplace of Bomba and Plena, the dances and chants that are typically danced by the Vejigante during the festival’s parade.
In Vejigante de Ponce, I placed the vejigante in the southern city of Ponce, in a typical colonial street. The setting is the annual Ponce Carnaval, a traditional festival in February just prior to Lent. Here we can see the masked icon dancing Bomba and Plena in the streets with a crowd of people watching and celebrating. Their masks are made of paper mâché and are more demonic-looking looking and their attire is more intricate, influenced by the colonial Spanish of the time.
In both collage paintings, I have included famous Plena and Bomba songs and lyrics, Puerto Rican sayings, Afro Latino poetry, the typical chants where the Vejigante interacts with the crowd, and many other treasures of my enchanted island that came to mind.
Both artworks were sketched in collaboration with my daughter, Ana Serrano. I am very particular and a firm believer that we carry our Puerto Rican roots wherever we are in the world. I have taught my children to be proud of our culture and encourage them to highlight it in their work and everyday lives.
Both collage artworks are mixed media collage, paper, and acrylics. I paint paper of different sorts, including sheet music, literature, newspapers, and magazines, among others, to create my own intricate and unique patterns and designs and to convey a message to the viewer. These are closely related to the history and emotion behind the artwork.
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