Santa Maria artist Tommy Ruiz highlights unconventional beauty with surrealist imagery expressing the trans experience

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Tommy Ruiz was lying in bed as a 13-year-old girl when he suddenly realized he was transgender. 

It was July 2015. Caitlyn Jenner had just come out to the world with her “I am Cait” Vanity Fair cover.

“I remember the day,” Ruiz said. “Before that, I knew I was a part of the LGBTQ-plus community, but I wasn’t quite aware of what the T in LGBT meant. Once I realized what trans was, I said, ‘Oh my God, that could be an option for me.’ It was immediate—like, ‘Oh, that’s what I’ve been looking for my whole life.’ From that point on, I always felt most comfortable and happiest with the label trans man.”

Now 23 and an artist, Ruiz depicts unconventional beauty by illustrating ordinary people with surrealistic body parts. A shaved-headed person with mushrooms sprouting from their face, a woman with two sets of eyes, and a girl with devil horns bulging from her forehead are just some of the creations he’s brought to canvas. 

“When I was young, it was really hard for me to express myself in any manner,” Ruiz said. “Being able to create art, especially while experimenting with the surrealist element, has been a great way to talk about how I experience being within my own body.”

Ruiz’s Pink piece showcases his out-of-this-world thinking. The goth vibes of a black goat head contrast with the bubbly energy of its Barbie doll body and the pink background behind it. 

Ruiz said being able to define and describe beauty to himself allows him to express what he can’t with words. He shares his illustrations on Instagram under the username @bunniesaregay. 

“Art has been my main coping mechanism pretty much my whole life,” Ruiz said. “Being able to create art and share with other queer people has [provided me] a little joy where otherwise it can be pretty hard to find. When I was still figuring out, ‘Am I a lesbian? Am I actually a gay man,’ art helped me come to terms with who I was attracted to.”

Ruiz doesn’t just depict surrealist imagery to showcase unconventional beauty. He also illustrates eccentric portraits of queer people like himself using neon colors to catch eyes. 

His drawing of Instagram user @froglady444 depicts the goth singer-songwriter with bright, rainbow hair, layered from roots to ends, as streams of bright green liquid fall from his right eye and mouth. Large metal spikes protrude from Froglady’s green choker necklace, while another two bulge out from the root of his nose. The clutter of rainbow dots below his eyes sit just above his silver septum hoop ring with a heart in the middle. 

Another portrait, this time of @coralkilll on Instagram, accents the DJ’s neon green eye shadow with a background of the same color. 

After he came out as trans, Ruiz said he suddenly started dressing more masculinely, cutting the hair on his head short, and letting the hair on his legs grow long. In classes like physical education, Ruiz said he would see peers staring at him and hear others talking about him behind his back. 

“From that point on, even though I was aware, I did try to stuff it down,” Ruiz said. “I hoped I could push those feelings away or just appear normal to people. I dressed incredibly femininely for a long period of my teen years.”

Ruiz also uses his art to highlight gender as a spectrum. His drawing of Tristan Cole Wildey from Pancho and the Wizards bursts with color and blurs any dividing lines. 

Wildey’s blond hair and purple nails pop off the white background. A white sparkle illuminates the turquoise stone on his bolo tie. Wildey’s red eyeshadow accents his neon green eyebrows and moustache, bordering the orange powder and black star on his nose. 

“Even though it might have looked like I was unsure what I was feeling from the outside, inside, I knew the whole time,” Ruiz said. “I just wasn’t sure exactly how to go through with it without making others completely isolate me.”

Although Ruiz experienced sudden physical changes at first, his full transition didn’t happen overnight. He said he would alternate between rapid and gradual physical changes like a swinging pendulum. 

“I had periods of trying to be super feminine, and then some shorter periods of trying to be more masculine,” Ruiz said. “I still wanted to be attractive to people.”

Just because he’s a trans man doesn’t mean he can’t channel his femininity. Ruiz frequently draws portraits of female faces using the tints and shades of just one color. 

And Ruiz isn’t just an artist. He constantly shares local community organizations and events on his Instagram and volunteers for local organizations like Corazón del Pueblo. He’s also volunteered for La Cultura Del Mundo and designed the Pride posters for House of Pride and Equality both this year and last. 

Suzette Lopez, the executive director for House of Pride and Equality, said Ruiz’s beautiful soul shines through his art. She said the diversity he includes in his pieces shows that his inclusive spirit extends to everyone. 

“As trans people, we are always going to find ways to be our true, authentic selves and help anybody who feels like they need to express themselves more authentically,” Ruiz said “There’s nothing that can be done to simply just get rid of us—especially [not with] laws made by another human. I know we can fight through anything.”

Reach Staff Writer Reece Coren at rcoren@santamariasun.com.

This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 6, 2025.