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Local artist Ruben will debut a new collection as well as some old favorites from 7 to 11 p.m. Thursday at Mister C’s Bistro, located at Allen Avenue and Ocean Place in Allenhurst.

The Los Angeles native is known for capturing Asbury Park’s iconic architecture as well as the Jersey Shore’s natural landscape, and its sunrises and sunsets; the latter via his Chasing Sunsets Facebook page.

With this new show, Ruben uses color to highlight the intricacies of some of nature’s more fragile offerings. The solo exhibit’s opening reception will includes music and food, and a chance to meet the artist

Below is the Sun’s interview with the artist:

Sun: Where were you born and raised?

Ruben [at right]: Los Angeles. I come from a family of 10 children. My mother was pregnant for 10 years in a row. I have 8 sisters and a younger brother who died at age 16. My family lives in Los Angeles and I have one sister that lives in Reno.

Sun: When did you move to the area?

Ruben: I originally moved to Weehawken in 1989 for work as a medical practice administrator. I moved into Manhattan in 1990 and ran some of the top dental practices there. I met someone from Spring Lake and moved to the Jersey Shore in 1999 and have called it home ever since then.

Sun: So much of your work centers around Asbury Park, can you talk a little about your artistic relationship with the city?

Ruben: I now reside in Asbury Park where my hobby as a photographer took off. I fell in love with the architecture; The Howard Johnson’s, The Carousel, Convention Hall, etc. People began buying my work and that’s why it made sense to move where my artwork is known.

Sun: When did you open your first gallery here?

Ruben: I opened a gallery small gallery on Cookman Ave. in 2009 and then moved into a much larger location [currently Palette Gallery/ArtSpace, owner by Joe Borzotta] in August of 2012. Unfortunately Hurricane Sandy hit our area and business wasn’t doing well enough for me to sustain ownership. We held a benefit and raised money for the victims of Hurricane Sandy and closed shortly after that.

Sun: Will you ever open another gallery?

Ruben: My goal is to someday open another gallery, when the time is right for me and obviously in the right location.

Sun: What should we expect with this new show?

Ruben: I recently began producing my work on metal and glass as well as my traditional canvas prints.

Stella Marina bought the largest collections of Rubens. They’re all over the restaurant both upstairs and downstairs. My favorite one is the decoupage triptych of the Carousel going up the stairs. That was their first one and I specifically designed it for the restaurant.

Sun: Do you have any artistic New Year’s Resolutions or goals you’d like to share?

Ruben: I have a passion for my work and am constantly inspired by all of the beautiful areas that surround our shores. Also, it makes it easy for me to jump in my car and get to a specific location if I know we’re going to have a beautiful sunset or sunrise.

For more information about Ruben and his work, visit http://www.rubensworldgallery.com.

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The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

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