Paint, Not Pixels — Artist Bissi Cruz Turns a Case of Mistaken Identity Into a Breakout Exhibition In The Woodlands

Houston artist Bissi Cruz paints in acrylic, not pixels. For years, viewers assumed otherwise. The distinction is central to his latest body of work, which is getting a moment. Cruz’s solo show, “Come Fly With Me,” is now on view at The Woodlands’ Ardest Gallery through January 31.

Cruz is a self-taught artist whose surreal paintings feature fanciful birds and timepieces. Earlier in his art career, Cruz displayed his acrylic paintings at markets. As people passed his booth, he found that his work was often dismissed as digital art.

“People kept asking us, ‘Is this digital work?’ ” Cruz says. “We told them, ‘No, it’s done with acrylic.’ ”

Eventually, Cruz’s wife Edna found a way to bridge that confusion. She helped bring his acrylic paintings to life through animation. Today, viewers can experience his work digitally as well as in its original two-dimensional form.

From Art Markets to Finding His Spark

At first, Cruz set a simple goal for himself. He wanted to be accepted into an art festival.

Cruz says he attended The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival for 20 years. Watching artists exhibit there shaped his ambitions.

“I always told my wife, ‘I want to be in an art festival or an art market,’ ” Cruz says. “I was just talking, though.”

Cruz knew how to draw, but he had not developed a distinct style yet. He often accompanied his wife to art festivals without imagining himself as a featured artist.

“One day, she told me, ‘I booked you at an art market. You need to start painting,’ ” Cruz says. “I didn’t know what to do. So I started painting something easy.”

Cruz says he could paint people and portraits. He could also replicate other painters’ work. What he lacked was a creative spark.

That changed after a visit to the zoo. “I had no imagination,” Cruz says. “Then one day I had an idea, and it just grew.”

He says it finally clicked during repeated trips to the zoo. The animals became his focus and inspiration. “Now it’s like an addiction,” Cruz says.

Growth Through Practice

Cruz has 18 pieces displayed at Ardest Gallery in this exhibition. He says he can see improvement in every painting. “That’s why I paint every single day,” he notes. “I can see what I can do better. And I try to do it.”

Cruz credits his wife Edna, who’s also an artist, for motivating him to pursue painting seriously. “She’s the one that lit that fuse,” Cruz says. “If it wasn’t for her, none of this would’ve happened.”

Ardest Gallery owner Julie Verville created a scavenger hunt for the exhibition. The five-question hunt gives each participant a raffle entry. The prize is a limited edition print of one of Cruz’s pieces. The winner will be drawn on January 31 at the close of the show.

There’s even more on the horizon for Cruz. He will exhibit at the First Saturday Arts Market and the Bayou City Art Festival. The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival follows from April 10 through April 12.

Bissi Cruz’s “Come Fly With Me” is on view through January 31 at Ardest Gallery, located at 25200 Grogan’s Park Drive. Gallery hours run 10 am to 2 pm Wednesdays through Saturdays. For more information, go here.