Sometimes an exhibition begins with nothing more than a spark of curiosity. For Redbud Arts Center, that moment arrived during a February 2025 visit to the studio of Ricardo Ruiz. His walls were filled with the vibrant, richly executed oil paintings for which he is widely recognized, yet it was an unexpected corner of the studio that caught our imagination: a series of exquisitely detailed ink drawings.

Each drawing seemed to radiate ambience and spirit, alive with a quiet intensity that immediately suggested new possibilities.From that discovery, a question emerged: what might happen if Ruiz, with his precision of line and depth of imagination, reinterpreted the fantastical world of German fairy tales? We shared with him titles from the Brothers Grimm, suggested a few fables and folktales, and invited him to enter those stories on his own terms. He agreed.

The result is "Tales from Beyond the Porchlight," a new body of work in which folklore and vision meet. Within these drawings, wolves carry wry expressions, forests bend into strange and unnatural forms, and familiar narratives twist into something that feels both timeless and entirely new. Ruiz does not simply retell stories; he reshapes them, layering humor, mystery, and cultural resonance into every carefully drawn line.

The exhibition will remain on display through November 29.