The Art of Ramon Ramirez
Ramon Ramirez was born and raised in East Los Angeles, where he displayed signs of artistic talent, as demonstrated by his chalkboard murals that could be found in classrooms throughout his high school campus. However, it was not until he attended U.C. Berkeley, where he majored in Architecture, that he was able to formally explore painting. In his freshman year, he took an art class taught by Yolanda M. Lopez, which allowed him to understand that painting could be both cultural and formal. As an undergraduate, his artistic development paralleled his personal and political development in that his paintings reflected his emerging identity as a Chicano.
Ramon draws his inspiration from a variety of sources—Mexican muralists, American abstract expressionists, Chicano and Mesoamerican art. Music, from the thunderous sounds of 'Tool' to the eclectic tapestries of 'Manu Chao', also inspires Ramon’s visual exploration.
An undeniable influence that informs Ramon’s art is architecture. Upon analyzing his paintings, the contamination of architecture is evident, as confirmed by the two-dimensionality of his compositions and the aggressive presence of the built environment. His architecture, conversely, has also been informed by his painting. The ‘URBANsubURBAN House’, his residence, reflects playful fields of color, which seem to echo his art.
His paintings can be found in Private collections throughout the United States, including Charlotte, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, South Bend, Washington D.C., and in Basel, Switzerland. His work can also be found in public collections, including the Chicano Studies Library at UC Berkeley, the UC Santa Barbara Library, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (print department), and the Laguna Art Museum in California. Ramon continues to be an active painter in Southern California where he also practices and teaches architectural design.
Photograph by Emily Cheng