From Architect to Artist: Ernesto Ramirez Incorporates His Mexican Roots and Palm Springs Inspiration Into His Vibrant Paintings

Ernesto Ramirez was on a Mediterranean cruise when he learned he was voted Best Visual Artist by Independent readers in the Best of Coachella Valley’s readers’ poll.

“I’m very lucky,” he said.

Ramirez said the Coachella Valley has embraced his work since he started painting in 2017.

“The arts community is great here,” Ramirez said. “They are very supportive, and that’s a good thing, because I’m kind of new in the art industry. I was working as an architect; that was my first passion. I always wanted to paint, but because I had to work, I never really had the time.

“You have to be passionate about art. Painting, this is a very tough industry. Nobody gets rich doing that, not that I know of. That was my second passion when I was a kid. Now it brings me a lot of joy to do it, and my community is very supportive about that.”

Ramirez works in acrylics and oils, incorporating aspects of Mexican culture and folklore. His series on luchadores takes a close-up look at the traditional professional wrestler. Primates, roosters, rams and fauna native to Mexico are rendered in intense color and repose. There are many of references to Mestizos and Dia de los Muertos.

“One of my influences, obviously, is Frida Kahlo,” Ramirez said. “I think you can tell a bit about that by looking at my work. I call myself a Mexican surrealist. I also put my memories from my childhood in my work—you know, memories about my grandma, my family, my little brother passing away, things like that. (I also incorporate) a lot of weird dreams that I have, because surrealism is just, you can paint whatever you want.”

His choice of brilliant colors and bold concepts reflects an upbringing just as colorful. Born in central Mexico, Ramirez spent his youth on the coast near Mazatlán, a town known for its beauty and cultural attractions. He returned to his birthplace of Guanajuato to get a degree in architecture and eventually found work in Tijuana, supervising housing-design projects.

As a child, Ramirez had aspirations of being an architect and an artist. He was devoted to his large extended family, yet he dreamed of traveling the world. He remained close to home, caring for his parents and grandmother—until they realized Ramirez might need a push.

“After I graduated, I moved back to Mazatlán to help my parents,” he said. “I worked there for a few years, designing houses, and then one day, my mom said to me, ‘I think it’s time for you to go, because we can manage. It’s time to go and live your life and continue with your profession. We will survive. We will manage. We want you here, but we don’t.’ She knew I wanted to travel the world.”

Ramirez headed to Los Angeles, where he spent time with his younger brother.

“My goal, (when) I came here, was to learn English, so I did that, and then I was trying to move more north, trying to go to Canada,” he said. “And that didn’t happen, because I met the love of my life in Los Angeles, and now I’m happily married with my husband. It changed the whole thing—like, ‘That’s it. I’m going to be here in the United States.’”

Ramirez and Patrick will celebrate their 20-year anniversary next year. They moved to Palm Springs in 2023, after many years as part-timers.

“We used to live in Long Beach. We had a house here, and since 2008, have been coming to Palm Springs every weekend,” Ramirez said. “So we decided to move here full time, like, a year ago.”

In 2017, Ramirez began to transition from architecture to painting.

“I always was very passionate about it. Actually, as a kid, I entered a couple of competitions in school … and I won a couple of times, but I never really pursued that career until now,” he said. “I was never trained to be a painter, but in college, as an architect, we took some art classes. It’s part of the education. We have to know how to draw, to project your projects to clients. So I always got it, and I started painting professionally, if I can say that, in 2017, so I am a brand-new artist. I’m starting to learn more techniques, and I’m just trying everything.”

In recent works, traces of Ramirez’s family history and cultural touchstones come forward. Roses scatter the background of many works, almost fading into a monochromatic palette like wallpaper. Those roses are a tribute to his grandmother, who Ramirez said, never liked the traditional and ubiquitous marigolds of Mexican culture. In one series, Ramirez gives a quirky nod to the pool culture of Palm Springs. Last year, he painted a few pop-culture icons, including Warhol, Marlon Brando and Burt Reynolds.

Ramirez said he has found more inspiration in Palm Springs.

“Here, a lot of artists do mid-century modern (themes), and I’m learning to accommodate (that), to paint something that is going to be appealing to the community, but also be true to myself as a Mexican artist,” he said. “So I try to combine that. Every time I do a piece of artwork, I try to put my print, my Mexican heritage, in it, with color, with the concept—and that’s it. I just try to be true to myself when it comes to my paintings.”

Ramirez displays at Kee Gallery, a space he co-owns with fellow artists Kathleen Strukoff and Erich Meager. In November, a grand-opening exhibit marked the one-year anniversary of the gallery. Ramirez and Patrick missed the grand opening; they were off cruising the Mediterranean due to a scheduling oversight.

When they return home, they plan to sell a large painting titled “The Warrior” to a close friend. The piece, a 46-by-60-inch fantasy depicting a warrior seahorse, holds a special place: It sits in their home in Palm Springs and is the first piece Ramirez created in 2017.

“When we were buying (our) house, we saw the model homes where we live in Palm Springs,” Ramirez said. “Patrick saw a piece of artwork that we fell in love with, and we asked for the price, and it was way too expensive for us to purchase it. I told Patrick, ‘You know, I can paint something for our new home.’ That was my very first piece—and the rest is history.”

Learn more at ernestoramirezdesigns.com and keegallery.com.