Young Ruben grew up surrounded by brushes, oils and inks from his father’s work. His father, a self-learner, painted some landscapes and portraits at home. By the time his father started to put aside his brushes, Ruben started to grow in his interest and curiosity in painting and Art.

 

In secondary school, he studied arts. When he finished college due to the lack of support and work opportunities in Art's field and Painting, he decided to become a Social Worker. After his degree, he worked in public schools as a Religious Studies teacher with students aged between 6 to 16 years. He made a post-degree in Theology.

 

The desire of painting returned with more commitment and intensity in 2013. Still, without a big consideration for his talents, he started to learn some techniques by himself, reading, observing and analyzing the work of other artists. By the end of 2014, he met the Portuguese Artist Isabel Favila. The empathy was immediate. The support, valorization and friendship of Master Favila were crucial for his personal and artistic development. He had the opportunity to develop his skills and knowledge about oil painting techniques and increased his portfolio. Ruben attended Master Favila’s atelier in Lisbon until he moved to London in 2015.

 

In London, now more determined than ever to develop and improve his skills he attended the course: “Realistic Painting based in photography” taught by the Artist Edward Sutcliff, in the Art Academy of London. During this course, Ruben had the opportunity to develop his technique in realistic painting. The support and incentive from Master Sutcliff were important for Ruben and he started developing works and establishing goals to develop his work and his career as a painter.

 

In 2017 he did another course in the Art Academy of London with the artist Charlie Schaffer. Following the school of Freud, he learned new technics and methods to achieve more expressive portraits. 

 

In 2015, through the divulgation of his works, he was invited by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace to do an exhibition in Rome about the life of the venerable Vietnamese Cardinal Francis-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan. The exhibition will take place on the occasion of his beatification and it will have fifteen paintings of the most significant moments of the Cardinal’s life.

​

Since 2018 Ruben is presenting several workshops and inspirational talks on Art, Creativity and Faith, in local Hospitals, parishes, schools and students houses. He speaks on how Art can change hearts and mentalities, teaching us the value and uniqueness of human life and the goodness and Beauty of God. in 2021 Ruben was invited by Yale University to present a webinar about his faith, art, good humour and humanity in his works. The conference is available on Youtube. 

​

In 2020 Ruben was commissioned to make an Altar panel about the Coronation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. Above the main Altar, this panel will be soon inaugurated in a Church in Portugal. As the old masters, Ruben is now using life models for his works, bringing originality, humanity and proximity to Sacred Art. 

​

​