The Candy Trays series began in 2002, while Ramirez was an artist-in-residence at Artpace in San Antonio. True to form, Ramirez often took on thrown-away or partially consumed things as his subject matter. The half-eaten foods in Vegan from his Trash Bag series (1998) or the beaten papier-mâché detritus of the Piñata series (2002) are other examples.
Though there are others, the explicitly temporary object is one of Ramirez’s leitmotifs. The Candy Trays series captures the luscious color and shine of commercial advertising, a connection that makes sense given Ramirez’s early graphic design training. Yet Ramirez’s photographs are firmly fixed within the realm of the gallery and museum.

Ramirez’s frequent choice of a glossy white background for his objects—and his posing of those objects—is crucial. Floating without a hint of shadow, the chocolate trays appear “hung” vertically and face-on, which is not how one usually sees such objects when they lie casually open on a table. The soon-to-be-disposed-of tray becomes an image of mystery.