“The portraits of artist Ruben Ireland hang like depictions of unknown saints. Heroes from a forgotten folklore. Ireland shows women as mystics – clean and crisp in an epic state of calm.” -Chris Jalufka/EvilTender

Ruben Ireland has a complicated relationship with women. Okay, no, I don’t know that for sure, but once you see his art, you have to wonder from whence these women come. Maybe he was raised by Wiccan Amazons with Hunger Games-level skills and a fondness for black, maybe he’s the secret sidekick of a female superhero with fantastic hair, or maybe he just read a lot of Tank Girl growing up. Who knows?

Maddeningly, none of the personal details I managed to unearth about him seemed to point to any of these scenarios, so I’ll just have to be content with my imagination. Actually, I was pretty surprised to learn that it was a man painting these portraits. His work just feels so genuinely female. (That is not a criticism of men.) His subjects are attractive and a bit sensual, but not at all sexualized.  And after watching the video interview below, I concluded that he seems like a pretty sweet, normal guy. The plot thickens!

Whatever his story, I am glad he’s out there in the world, making art about fierce women.

You can follow Ireland on his website and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

All images property of Ruben Ireland.