Starry Night by Alex Ruiz (2011)

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Description I've often wondered about how the night sky looked to Van Gogh when he painted 'Starry Night.' This is an homage to him, and to his painting, one of my all time favorites. We see him standing here, looking up at the night sky...probably in awe, as he wondered how he would capture the beauty he saw. As well, this was the view from the sanitarium he was staying at, as it's well known that the poor guy was quite mentally troubled. (For the record, it's believed he painted this from inside the sanitarium, but I didn't want bars on my image!) I wanted this piece to be somewhat magical and fantastic, not just a normal night painting. Hence the large moon, large stars, transparent clouds etc., yet keeping a mostly realistic feel to it. If you see the original painting, you see so much motion...it's as if he saw the vibration on all the objects, and that he captured the wind! See the original here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/VanGogh-starry_night_ballance1.jpg Thanks for looking, and I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I enjoyed creating it:) Done in Photoshop in about 7 hrs using matte painting techniques, and painting over. If you are interested in learning my techniques, I have downloads for sale at my store: http://conceptmonsterstudios.blogspot.com/Print also available here at larger sizes!: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/starry-night-alex-ruiz.html

Alex Ruiz, los angeles
Member Since September 2009
Artist Statement The visions of Alex Ruiz range from dark and disturbing, fantastical to sci-fi, and all the way to vomit inducing cuteness and hilarity. In his paintings, the creatures of his thoughts crawl off the page and transplant themselves into your unsuspecting brain, hopefully taking residence there as well.

Alex Ruiz began his art career as a character animator on 'the Simpsons' at the age of 19. He then became an assistant director on the hit series, taking on more responsibilities on the creation of the show. Eventually, Alex realized his passion for making still images rather than animating scenes, and slowly shifted into a career as an illustrator. He then moved into the position of Director of Illustration for 20th Century Fox's License and Merchandise department, working on properties including James Camerons Avatar, Aliens, Halo 3, Eragon, Family Guy, the Simpsons, McFarlane/Spawn Toys and many more.

Alex is currently a freelance concept artist/illustrator lending his talents to the film, television, video game, and music industries. Clients include 20th Century Fox, Activision, The Workshop, Universal Studios, Sony, Radical Comics, Virgin Comics, and visual effects houses Frame Machine, Perspective Studios, and S4 Studios. He is also an art instructor at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art and Studio Arts in Los Angeles, teaching classes in conceptual design, digital painting and anatomy.