Vincent can only speak in metaphors, using a collage of pop culture images and phrases that stick to his mind like cat hair to a couch. And when life hands you cat hair, make a painting of a Norwegian Forest Cat.

Vincent Cruz is a nutty yet sensitive young artist with a remarkable memory, a strange sense of humour and a passion for things related to natural and ancient history and mythology. His work consists of representations of mythological characters and surprisingly tender and insightful portraits, mostly of women. He has recently completed a painting series called The Archangels, using popular pop culture icons to depict Michael, Azrael, Cassiel and the other archangels. He studied at Sheridan College and at the Central Technical School Art Programs. His work was recently exhibited in AWOL Gallery’s annual Square Foot Exhibition. He is diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, one of several autism spectrum disorders.


Archangel Michael? Or comic superhero from the 80s?

Tell us more about the Archangels that you are working on.
I chose the Angels depicted in this group for the personalities attributed to them in lore. I also tried to choose the ones that would play off each other in the most dynamic way. My paintings were designed to capture the known aspects of them, but also to allude to The five man band, a typical arrangement for cartoon super heroes in the 80's. I chose to include Michael, who I saw as the Hero. In most interpretations of angelic lore, Michael leads his angelic bretheren. In this painting, I envision him as the dynamic leader who carries the best traits of his angelic bretheren within him. I also included Azrael, who I saw as the Lancer. The Lancer exists to be the Hero's foil, to be both the hero's kindred while appearing to be his opposite. This is what I intended to capture in Azrael, the angel of death, benevolent in all but appearance.


Isis-Parthenos: part of Vincent's new multicultural pantheon.

How do you choose a subject?
I want to create a hybrid culture made up of bits and pieces of different cultures. I’m fascinated by gods from different cultures and I bring them together to create a multicultural pantheon. On a different level, these gods also represent pieces of my personality and my struggles—a need to bring control in an uncontrollable universe. In my portraits, I bring together different ideas of aesthetic beauty, held together by a faint resemblance to someone who I feel strongly for.