BIOGRAPHY
Ruby Newman is a well established Bay Area artist working in a variety of mediums on canvas, paper and prepared panels. Her work is refreshingly vibrant, free spirited and spontaneous in both her use of color, brush stroke and response to subject matter. It is executed with a sense of immediacy and vitality.
Whether the inspiration comes from the landscape, people or the inner mind, the work takes on its own life. She especially enjoys creating contemporary Plein Air landscapes, figurative studies, abstracts and still lifes studies. Newman translates these subjects into unique masterpieces.
Her work is created from a first hand interaction and perspective with the work. Regardless of the subject matter, it's all about color, rhythm and the intuitive response through the brush strokes and composition.
Ruby was inspired to paint and draw as a young child by her artistic mother Lucille, a graduate of Pratt Institute. Raised in Northern New Jersey in the town of Tenafly, she was exposed to the galleries and arts museums in New York City throughout her formative years. Her mother owned Lucinda Ltd Fine Art Gallery which featured contemporary New York area artists. She had the unique opportunity of experiencing both the art dealer and artist's perspective in promoting and selling art work. She accompanied Lucille to artists' studios and assisted in hanging shows. This exposure gave Ruby a great appreciation and insight into inner workings of the art world. She studied figurative drawing with Charlie Mazussian, (also a graduate of Pratt) during her high school years and developed her skills in pen, pencil and pastels during this time. This foundation gave her a strong command of capturing the human figure and nature. She later studied with Doug Templeton at S. F. City College. She delights in creating work from models as well as candid portraiture of musicians in performance and listeners alike. Her work was included in the 2009 Plein Air Exhibit at the Napa Valley Museum.
At Carnegie Melon University,she majored in Theatrical Design under the direction of Cletus and Barbara Anderson. She received a B.F.A. and The Bess Kimberly Award for best costume designer of her class. Ruby apprenticed with the Santa Fe Opera, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Minneapolis Institute of the Arts and Opera Barga, Italy. she then turned her attention to Public Art and devoted over ten years to projects through the San Francisco Art Commission. These included several mural works and the restoration of the 1914 Golden Gate Park Carrousel. Ruby oversaw the restoration process and hand painted the 62 wooden menagerie figures, decorative panels and masks. She received numerous awards and recognitions for this effort. Following this commission, Newman spent two years as a resident artist at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Marin County where she had the opportunity to focus on her fine art works that included developing her Plein Air techniques and abstractions from the surrounding hills and ridges.
Since 1986, Newman has used her talents to create an assortment of unique decorative painting applications for her livelihood. Her mastery of Trompe L'Oeil, custom mural designs and decorative painting has won her several national PDCA awards including her finishes for Petaluma's St. Vincent Church and the Rutlinger Victorian in San Francisco. Her commercial works ranges from historical to contemporary themes and can be viewed in both residential and commercial settings.
The artist and her husband live in Sonoma County California.
Throughout her commercial career, Newman has maintained a serious focus on her fine art work.
Collectors and clients are welcome to visit the Artist's Studio in Petaluma, California by appointment.
Original Works of Art *Acrylics * Pastels * Watercolor
Limited Edition Artist’s Prints and Cards
www.rubynewman.com | Phone: 707 765 6824 |
Also visit Artists Resources of Sonoma County
ALL IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT PROTECTED RUBY NEWMAN 2008 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED