/Arts & Entertainment




Cristiam Ramos, whose work has appeared in Ripley’s Believe it or Not, will be appearing this Friday and Saturday at the Fort Myers Beach gallery

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Cristiam Ramos, a world-renowned artist whose work is featured at Ripley’s Believe it Or Not, will appear at Elevate Artworks/Art With Purpose Fine Art Gallery on Fort Myers Beach for a showcase of his artwork Friday and Saturday.

Photo by Nathan Mayberg

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Cristiam Ramos, a world-renowned artist, will be showcasing his work at Elevate Artworks/Art With Purpose Fine Art Gallery on Fort Myers Beach Friday and Saturday. Photo provided


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World-renowned artist Cristiam Ramos will be appearing at Elevate Artworks/Art With Purpose Fine Art Gallery on Fort Myers Beach for a showcase of his artwork this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23 and Oct. 24.

A Florida-based artist, Ramos will be making a public appearance at the San Carlos Boulevard gallery from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. each of the two days. Admission to the event is complimentary though the gallery is asking the public to RSVP for the event, due to limited parking at the site next to Estero Bay Marina.

Ramos is known for elaborate works of art and his use of material. He once used 20,000 pieces of denim jeans to create a celebrated portrait of Marilyn Monroe.

At this weekend’s showcase, Ramos will be showing his Frank Sinatra “My Way” tribute portrait, meticulously constructed from more than 20,000 individual pieces of hand-cut denim jeans.

Ramos will also be conducting a live painting demonstration and will be available for meet and greets to discuss his artistic process.

The showcase will be the first artist showcase for the Fort Myers Beach gallery since opening earlier this year next to Estero Bay Marina at 17953 San Carlos Boulevard. The gallery is run by Rodney Flounders, a veteran of the Florida art gallery world.

Rodney Flounders, who operates the gallery, called Ramos “the globally acclaimed master of unconventional mediums” in an announcement of the showcase. Some of his artworks are displayed in “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” museums around the world.

Flounders said Ramos has portraits made out of candy “that look like photographs” or paintings of lions. Ramos has set world records for the use of materials in his work, he said.

Flounders permanently represents the artwork of Ramos, his brother Victor Ramos, and their father Enrique Ramos.

“Elevate Artworks serves as Southwest Florida’s definitive hub for the Ramos family legacy,” Flounders said.

The gallery has been featuring a number of artworks by Ramos, including portraits of Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Salvador Dali and President George Washington. Also on the walls of the Fort Myers Beach gallery are delicate paintings of genuine blue morpho butterfly wings and sweeping, multi-layered historical pop-culture canvases.

Flounders has dozens of artworks for sale at the gallery, most of which are on consignment.

“We are incredibly proud to welcome Cristiam back to the gallery for an unforgettable live experience,” Flounders said. “Having collaborated with the Ramos family for over two decades, it is a privilege to share Cristiam’s profound genius–from his jaw-dropping denim mosaics to his live canvas work–directly with our Ft. Myers and Lee County community.”

Ramos will be in attendance both nights and will be creating an oil painting on the wings of a real butterfly during the event. He will be bringing several framed butterflies, three of his new butterfly frame paintings and the only denim mosaic piece that he currently has. I’ve attached photos of them. 

Ramos has been the recipient of numerous international art awards for his unusual and amazing artwork and his pieces are featured in many Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museums around the world. One of his museum pieces is a life size Harley Davidson motorcycle “sculpted” from over 25,000 pieces of candy.

To RSVP for the event, contact Flounders at (407) 925-2409 or by email at sottilrodney@yahoo.com.