Ron Ferkol

Artist’s Statement
I want my paintings to move people _ for the art to say something more than just create the allusion of form.  I would like my pictures to be a little on the unfinished side, to be rich in surface texture, and to leave some of the painting process visible.  

Ron Ferkol’s paintings express warm feelings created by how he looks at ordinary things and paints them in a unique light.  Born in Cleveland Ohio, his family moved to Missouri Ozarks in 1947 when he was five.  It was there that his commitment to hard wok began.  This “drawing from life” has progressed ever since and includes a collection of award-winning still life paintings and portraits.  

Although life commitments prevented Ron from painting for several years in his late teens and early twenties, his exposure to living in the cities during his twenties, brought him back to painting.  And it is when he finally returned to the country that he could paint more naturally.  There, he built his home and studio on twenty five acres which he shares with his wife Karen who continually supports his art, is his traveling companion and models for his paintings.

Ron’s personal ethic of hard work was obvious in the many years he made a living using his mind and hands, as an electrician.  Now he continues on in the tradition by using them again professionally - only as an artist.  His natural ability to use a limited color palette and prominent brushwork, with an emphasis on strong composition, shows the realism of his art that has led to many awards and achievements.