Ron Veasey
Born 1957, Las Vegas, Nevada
Has practiced at Creative Growth since 1981
An early participant in Creative Growth’s programming, Ron Veasey’s work has evolved in technique and scale in his four decades in the Studio, but his fundamental interest in the human form as a vehicle for color and line remains central to his practice. Whether a sloping neck or a glancing eye, Veasey’s carefully considered portraits are completed methodically and with great intention.
Veasey slowly, quietly, and steadily moves through the stages of image selection, outline, color choice, and then painting. His inspiration comes from source material, fashion magazines or books of photography, and he can take hours or days to identify the perfect muse. Veasey begins a new piece in pencil, paring his subject down to essential detail and often omitting the background in favor of charged color fields. Committing his linework to paper in black marker, Veasey’s interlocking abstract shapes make up a whole form and articulate facial expressions. Moving thoughtfully, he then uses vivid hues of acrylic paint to flood every plane with solid unidimensional color (Veasey’s signature is yellow eyes and teeth). The result is an image that is at once graphic and sculptural, a distillation of color and form that allows the viewer to focus on the gesture of a stare – the gaze of the portrait becomes the fundamental subject of the work, unflinching in its connection with the viewer.
Uno de los primeros participantes en la programación de Creative Growth, el trabajo de Ron Veasey ha evolucionado en técnica y escala en sus cuatro décadas en el estudio, pero su interés fundamental en la forma humana como vehículo para el color y la línea sigue siendo fundamental para su práctica. Ya sea un cuello inclinado o un ojo de vistazo, los retratos cuidadosamente considerados de Veasey se completan metódicamente y con gran intención.
Veasey se mueve lenta, silenciosa y constantemente a través de las etapas de selección de imágenes, contorno, elección de color y luego pintura. Su inspiración proviene de material de origen, revistas de moda o libros de fotografía, y puede tardar horas o días en identificar a la musa perfecta. Veasey comienza una nueva pieza a lápiz, reduciendo su tema a los detalles esenciales y, a menudo, omitiendo el fondo en favor de campos de color cargados. Comprometiendo su trabajo de línea en papel con marcador negro, las formas abstractas entrelazadas de Veasey forman una figura completa y articulan expresiones faciales. Moviéndose pensativamente, luego usa tonos vívidos de pintura acrílica para inundar cada plano con un color sólido unidimensional (la firma de Veasey son ojos y dientes amarillos). El resultado es una imagen a la vez gráfica y escultural, una destilación de color y forma que permite al espectador concentrarse en el gesto de una mirada – la mirada del retrato se convierte en el sujeto fundamental de la obra, inquebrantable en su conexión con el espectador.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2022
Creative! Growth!, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Shine Light on an Owl's Face, Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles
More Than A Thousand Words, Kimball Art Center, Park City, Utah
Outsider Art Fair, New York
2021
4x8-bridges, online exhibition, 8-bridges
Vibrant, Nina Johnson Gallery, Miami
Platform, online exhibition, David Zwirner
Can’t Beat California, Golestani Gallery, Düsseldorf
NADA, Miami
2020
Felix Art Fair, Los Angeles
Inter-Avant-Garde, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln
NADA FAIR, online exhibition
Ron Veasey Viewing Room, Creative Growth Gallery
NADA, Miami
The Rainbow Two, Creative Growth Gallery
2019
Gifted: The Self-Taught Genius of Creative Growth, Nina Johnson Gallery, Miami, curated by Kim Hastreiter
CE x CG x NIAD, Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco
2018
NADA, New York
2017
D’Dessin Contemporary Drawing Fair, Paris
Outsider Art Fair, Paris
2016
Large Drawing, 836M, San Francisco