Ann Ruiz has been drawing and painting all her life. She began training in classical oil techniques at age twelve, and earned a degree in illustration from Pratt Institute.
She has painted in a variety of media and styles over the past 30 years, from realistic watercolor to abstract oil and encaustic. She has sold many paintings on commission and donated several to raise money for charities.
In June 2016 Ann was inspired to try soft pastels. She quickly fell in love with this medium, producing five paintings in six months beginning with “Summer Morning at Neal’s”. She joined the Pastel Society of North Carolina in January 2017. She enjoys the looseness, softness, richness of color, depth, and contrast she can achieve with pastels. She is mostly drawn to painting urban or semi-urban scenes in which people have a role in creating the mood.
