Awesome twosome: A unique case of two American pop artists
FLORIDA: Central Florida artists Rock Demarco and Alejandro “Revel” Ruiz share similar talents as speed painters, they’ve travelled the world and wowed audiences large and small by producing striking works of pop art in a mater of minutes. Both artists coat black canvases in colourful paint, creating visuals that evoke Andy Warhol, a blacklight poster or a laser tag arena, depending on the observer. And both are known to feature celebrities, musicians and everyday people in their work. But each man brings his own style and draws from his own muse — for Demarco, rock ‘n’ roll, and for Ruiz, his religion.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has stunted their in-person performances, Demarco and Ruiz continue to work full-time, leaving trails of canvases and murals wherever they go. Demarco is oten asked what his real name is. With his dark hair, dark eyeliner and dark wardrobe, he looks like a rock star who misplaced his electric guitar and grabbed a paintbrush. He has painted for musicians and celebrities including Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons and Johnny Depp.
He also might be confused for Edward Scissorhands, as he paints with five brushes at once, one poking out from each finger of his leather glove. In a photo of Demarco and Depp, the famous actor resembles his 1990 movie character while sporting Demarco’s paint claw. “When I talk about my art world, my performance world, I talk about the stage character Rock Demarco. Even though we share the same name, he is a whole different persona than Rock Demarco, the person you might run into at the grocery store,” the Winter Park resident said.
His grunge brand flourished 20 years ago ater meeting Alice Cooper, whose management team reached out to Demarco and asked him to do a speed painting performance as an opener to Cooper’s show, he said. He went from painting murals in commercial buildings and high-end homes to painting portraits live at concerts, comedy shows and sports events across the nation.
It typically takes Demarco 10 to 15 minutes to complete a piece, but Good Morning America challenged his speed, alloting him just six minutes to paint Diane Sawyer while simultaneously being interviewed in 2007. He did it in five and a half. He rehearses before painting in front of a crowd, he said, and uses the music to pace himself.
“When the music ends that image beter look like the person, and it beter be finished. That’s what’s running through my mind. And at the same time, entertaining the audience,” Demarco said. The Boston native’s artistic journey began during his childhood, when his parent’s scolded him for using their walls as canvases, he said. He atended the Massachusets College of Art and Design before moving to Florida to escape the cold weather. Now, his studio art can be viewed and purchased at Passport Fine Art Gallery on South Park Avenue in Winter Park.
His paintings displayed there range from $1,500 to $25,000, with some featuring props embedded into canvases such as a Rolls Royce grill, a Gene Simmons “axe guitar” and a skull stage prop from Demarco’s shows. Although he’s met many celebrities and remains friends with some, he said the children he meets through his nonprofit, Paint like a Rockstar, are the ones who continue to impress him. He partners with hospitals around the country to bring art therapy and paint kits to children with terminal illnesses, including at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando.
“With me living in the world of makebelieve, which is what entertainment is, it’s very grounding to work with children, because what they’re dealing with, what they’re going through is very real,” he said. Ruiz graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2012 with a steady job and salary in web design, but said he regreted not atending the Savannah College of Art and Design, one of the best art schools in the country.
His dream to become a full-time artist was reborn two years later ater he had a personal revelation — hence his nickname, “Revel.” A friend who noticed his talent invited him to paint live at Faith Assembly church on Curry Ford Road in Orlando. Ruiz was unfamiliar with live art at the time, until he found artist David Garibaldi on Youtube and saw him paint something that didn’t make sense until it was turned upside down — which Ruiz saw as a metaphor for that point in his life.
“I felt like a voice was telling me, ‘Step out of your comfort zone and just trust me.’ And I felt like it was God telling me that,” he said. Ruiz didn’t consider himself to be a religious person until he successfully painted a portrait of Jesus Christ upside down, impressing church atendees. The performance became the catalyst for his career.
Like Demarco, he’s travelled nationwide and worldwide for his artwork — he was even once featured in a Toyota commercial — while also displaying his talents locally. Ruiz’s murals can be found at Exploria Stadium, home of Orlando City Soccer Club, and in downtown Orlando, where one honoring human trafficking survivors was recently unveiled. He said the most nervewracking event he did was at an NFL game in California when the then-oakland Raiders were playing the Cleveland Browns. He had to paint a portrait of a coach in three minutes, significantly less than his typical five-minute speed-paint time. The wind and the “absolutely insane” fans heightened the pressure, he said.
“I would’ve never thought in a million years, first of all, that I’d be painting in front of anybody. And second of all, that’d I’d be painting in front of a stadium like that,” Ruiz said. Social media has been a key tool for Ruiz in promoting his name, he said. His Instagram videos regularly showcase his paint strokes accompanied by music. Before Game 5 of the NBA Finals last month, he painted the Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant with purple and yellow paint while “Holy” by Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper played in the background. The video has more than 6,700 plays on Instagram. “When I’m painting, I literally blackout. I don’t know how to say it other than that,” Ruiz said. “Everything else kind of fades away, and it’s just me and the paint.”