David Ruhlman is a self-taught artist who has a very personal and unique style. David's art radiates a sense of the fantastical. His paintings show surrealist visions, animals, bugs and birds take on human characteristics; detached molars, pea pods and trees move freely around small groups of brightly dressed children. Each scene plays out floating above dark, murky, ambiguous space. Far from chaotic, Ruhlman's brightly colored works display quiet mystery, meticulous composition and perfect balance. The contrast between the seemingly nonsensical images and the precision of design create a tension that draws us in, yet leaves us searching for answers that are nowhere to be found.

         David's portfolio includes: pen and ink, collage, found objects, and drawing done in the complete darkness, David has been busy finishing what has become over 40 volumes of idiosyncratic handmade art books which mined a wide variety of topics and inspirations ranging from the obscure mystical work of 12th Century writer, Rulman Mershwin, to luminescent botanical entities and the holocaust. These were executed with an array of materials including oil pastel, pencil, gouache, salvaged materials found in train yards, dirt, hair and the occasional insect. David has worked for the last 3 years on paintings that deal with: Plants, children, and animals that inhabit their own world. He tries to avoid the tendency to burden a piece with overt "social relevance." He also tries to paint as Jean Dubuffet so simply said, "Art should always make people laugh a little and frighten them a little. Anything but bore them. Art has no right to be boring."

More information is at davidruhlman.com

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