Wild colors explode across the epic images seared into Conrad Ruiz’s canvases. Bursting with epic drama, this San Franciscan’s paintings access the greatest heights of energy and excitement. Ruiz wields a strong comic sensibility, but his work has a secret depth brimming beneath its surface that transcends its endearing kitschiness. In his hands, the frozen image of a football coach being doused in Gatorade takes on a certain melancholy, and a glimpse of four track and field stars tumbling into oblivion amidst several pairs of whitey-tighties feels downright tragic. His stunningly detailed compositions demand your full attention and necessitate repeated views to meditate on their seductive mysteries.