Page 27 - The Houstonian Review - Fall Issue 2022 | Sintia Solis

Kenneth Ruiz grew up in Chicago’s Humboldt life without her. Kenny can’t walk down the street
Park area, and as a kid he was running the streets, and sit at the kitchen table and talk for hours with
doing graffiti and skateboarding with his “Crew.” her anymore, he can only hear her voice through
Unfortunately he graduated into joining a gang recordings, and see her smile in pictures. He felt
at a young age but, before it consumed or ended completely lost.
his life, his mother moved him and his sisters to He fell into such a deep depression, that he couldn’t
Pompano Beach Florida for a new beginning. There even draw the simplest of designs. His mind and
he graduated High School and received an award hands seemed to be completely out of sync, He felt
for Most Artistic. lost. His mother was a strong woman, and in her
While exploring what seemed to be a foreign final days she left a message to their family... “Feel
country; his neighborhood, He met a guy who to the pain, Ride the Storm, then get up, Heal and Live.”
this day, is a great friend. He asked if Kenny wanted She wouldn’t allow him to fall apart when she was
to see something cool, and with the hit of a switch, here physically, so he wasn’t going to let her down
his 1982 Buick Regal came to life and rose from while she is here spiritually.
ground it was laying on. A real lowrider! Ken gathered his collection of Magazines and began
It was the first time he had seen one up close. He chopping them up, telling stories of joy and pain.
had seen them here and there in Chicago but Stories of life. Month after month he worked on
they weren’t cruising in his neighborhood. He was piece after piece, they usually take about 2 months
hooked and now for over 20 years has been building to complete, some longer. What you look at in each
cars and competing in car shows. His passion for piece is his healing. As Ken would complete them, he
cars and the art in this movement altered his life in a would frame them and hang them in different areas
positive (and expensive) way. It taught Kenny about of his house. Which is where they were discovered.
hard work and the reward of it and introduced him He went to a potluck dinner to celebrate the
to a new art form. engagement of his wifes good friend and get to
He found himself working for an art company, but her know her fiance a little more. His wife made her
not just any art company, American Royal Arts! famous empanadas, which were a hit. They were so
He worked for Mr. Jerry Gladstone, the leader in good that her fiance requested to have dinner with
entertainment fine art. He learned how people used them to have the empanadas again. When the day
art to express who they are or what their passion arrived, they were enjoying dinner and conversation
is, they collected different kinds of art for different when he spotted one of Ken’s collages. He was
parts of who they are, or where they came from, excited about his art, which is thrilling because
some used it to tell a story of where they want to go. this is Steve Stock, the founder of the worlds most
He wanted something in his house that said who he famous Nautical artist - Guy Harvey! Steve helped
was, what his passion was and where he was from! Ken get started before retiring and made sure that
From what he saw, there was nothing out there. He MagChop products were of the highest quality.
began going through some magazines and cutting In 2014, MagChop became a legal company in
out images that he knew would be great in telling Florida and what a journey its been so far... Magchop
his story that he could not put into words or find has been featured in Magazines & news papers,
on any other canvas. He created the piece “First created memorabilia, movie posters, book covers,
Impression” after working on it every day for 4½ and has been featured in several galleries and on
months.
several TV and Radio shows. Kenny has also had his
He ended up buying the house a few doors down art and products appear in movies he is in, creating
from his Mom to be close to her, she was his best a new kind of movie memorabilia! His most recent
friend. Ken proudly hung his art in his house so film just released the second trailer! The film is based
people can have an idea of who he is, they can get on a true story about the first Chicano police squad
an impression of where he came from. It was the designated protecting immigrant neighborhoods
only piece his mother had seen. in Houston Texas... “The Squad: Rise of the Chicano

On July 3, 2013 his best friend, his Mom took her last Squad” Look for the trailer on YouTube!
breath while he held her hand with his siblings and Along with Movies, MagChop Fashion has been on
close family at her side. She was the anchor of their runways in Chicago, Orlando, in Palm Beach Swim
family, and now, they were left to battle the seas of Week, and Miami Swim Week!

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