We wish you a prosperous and “artful” New Year!

Below, a few images from last night’s “The Good Things” exhibition, featuring Ron Russon and Mary Scrimgeour.

“Give a Farmer a Brush– The Rural Landscape According to Ron Russon” by Sue Martin

From reference photos and sketches, Russon may select a tractor, bison, bull, or horse. These are images of rural life that are authentic and appealing to Russon, who grew up on a dairy farm near Lehi. “With animals, what you see is what you get,” he says. “A cow can’t fake being a chicken. With people, sometimes they have shells they hide under. That’s why I’m drawn to animals.” Read Ron Russon’s feature in 15Bytes.

A few photos from around Gallery MAR, featuring Lisa Lamoreaux, Kerry Soper, Michael Parker, and Wayne Salge.

Local Utah painter Ron Russon will visit Gallery MAR on Friday, August 6th from 6 to 8 pm to paint in the gallery. Friday night is the “Locals’ Night” of the Park City Arts Festival, and the KAC is asking for $10 donations for non-locals. This is a great night to come by the gallery and see the newest works on and off the street.

Russon’s latest works are exhibited right now, in the “Color Theories” show. Mary Scrimgeour is also featured. Stop by and see the artist at work!

Park City Art Gallery

Ron Russon “Golden Aspen,” Oil, 2009

This Friday marks Gallery MAR’s first “Art Lovers Valentine’s Eve” and Painting Demonstration. Join us on the 13th of February (Friday) for a lovely evening. Ron Russon will be in the gallery starting at 6 pm for a painting demonstration. Bring your favorite art lover and stop by the gallery for chocolate dipped strawberries and other Valentine’s Day treats. We will also feature new works by Ron Russon, Ginger Bowen, and Brooks Yates. We hope to see you there!

Ron Russon “Two Watched by Three” Oil

Ron Russon was born and raised in a rural area outside of Salt Lake City and continues to live and work on a farm.  He is surrounded by the Wasatch Mountains, many farms, and acres of cultivated ground. As a youngster, he never took art too seriously, or considered it as a viable career. But when he attended Utah Valley Community College, and took a basic drawing class, and something about it felt right.  He was accepted into the Illustration Design program at Brigham Young University and, as he puts it, “didn’t get fired, so I kept going.” In addition to the dairy farm, Russon maintained two other jobs to pay for his schooling.

Russon became a freelance illustrator and gained several clients. His commercial art career was cut short after painting an acrylic Uncle Sam wrapping a smiling house in red tape; the editor’s “art consciousness” was problematic and Russon’s internal struggle to paint creatively pushed him back to his rural roots of farms and wildlife. Now, Russon paints what he wants to: his life pursuits and hobbies are portrayed on canvas. Listening to bluegrass or space-pop, he paints in oil employing a loose brush and pallet knife to varied scenes, from a serene resting tractor in a wind rowed field of hay to a cacophony of geometric colors creating luminescent bison.  Through both abstraction and realism, his art reflects his relationship with nature and his communication with the outdoors.

Russon’s work is exhibited all over the West and each year he participates in many local and national exhibitions. This year he was chosen for the 2008 Hogel Zoo poster. Visit the Hogle Zoo site to see his painting and purchse a poster. Stop by the gallery to view the new works by Ron Russon. You’ll find his textures and color captivating.