Ron Smothers

ART INTERESTS:
NATURE
Now, nature’s simplicity of design, unparalleled beauty, perfect compositions, and power of evolution fascinate me. In my earlier years I was attracted to aviation and automobile art. As I started architectural drawing classes I learned of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work and his sense about fitting his designs to nature’s rules. An education in environmental design brought nature into the forefront of my career. Since I have taken up painting I have come to be even more attuned to nature’s importance.

WATER'S PATHS
I love painting moving water . . . from powerful, frothy waterfalls to the reflective surfaces of low-flow, slow-moving creeks . . . and how the water enhances the colors of the streambed floor and sparkles blindingly in the sun. The reflections vary from colorful mirrored images to pure abstraction, moving and throbbing as if with a life of their own.

VAPOR MOODS
From the spiritual experiences of color-tinted sunrises and sunsets to the mental weightiness of a foggy day, our moods can vary with the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. Painting our endless variety of clouds and these vapory mood-makers is an enjoyable challenge.

Emotional as well as visual pleasure are the goals of my work. But, I really hope to provoke a commitment to preserve what remains of our natural landscape, and honor its life giving forces. Such deep pleasure is to be found in nature’s places!

ART TRAINING:
In the early ‘90’s I began some focused training in watercolor painting. I worked for nearly two years with Sharon Yatzko, a very talented watercolorist in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. I was drawn to doing automobile painting. Then, in 2001 I had my first learning experience with oil paints and plein air painting, initially in a Ken Auster workshop. In subsequent years in Vancouver, WA I had classes with Stan Capon, and workshops with Jim Lamb and Eric Jacobsen, all of which have encouraged me to pursue my art.

Aesthetics was always an important aspect of my urban planning work. A college art appreciation course at Allan Hancock College first exposed me to the art in urban design. All of my schooling and practice in mechanical drawing, architectural drawing and rendering, technical illustration, and landscape/urban design was a foundation upon which my art interest grew. And, my career in urban planning gave me innumerable opportunities to apply design and aesthetic principles of landscape architecture, architecture, and graphic/visual arts.

BACKGROUND:
I was born in L.A., Hollywood actually. Spent my youthful years moving back and forth between So. California and Boise, Idaho. I was drawing at an early age. My folk artist grandmother encouraged my drawing and artwork, but most of the family encouraged me away from fine arts. Initially I found architecture and landscape architecture to be roads I would follow. In the middle of my college career I joined the Army and served in Germany in the mid ‘60’s. It was also an opportunity to soak up the architecture of the old world.

I completed my college work at Cal Poly Pomona in the School of Environmental Design with a major in Urban Planning. I went to work serving cities in bringing improvements to the way we fit ourselves into the environment and design the urban setting. A few years later I completed graduate studies in Urban Planning and moved on to working in this field as a consultant. Forty years went by influencing California urban scenes from Morro Bay to Imperial Beach with higher design and development standards. Now, I’m enjoying a dreamed of pursuit as a fine art painter.


EXHIBITIONS: (* - Juried Show ** - Invitational Show)

**Los Padres Artist Guild Christmas Show & Sale Nov. 2011 Santa Maria, CA

Santa Maria Air Show Aviation Art Premiere Aug 2011 Santa Maria, CA

**Los Padres Artist Guild Garden & Studio Tour June 2011 Santa Maria

*Paso Robles Arts Festival May 2011, Paso Robles, CA

*San Luis Obispo Museum of Art’s Plein Air Festival Sept. 2010 San Luis Obispo, CA

**Ridgefield Art Association Spring Show May 2004-2009 Ridgefield, WA

*Washington State University Gallery, Norhtwest Oil Planters Guild Show 2008 Vancouver, WA

**Pomeroy Gallery, Artist of the Month 2005 Amboy, WA

**Cowlitz County Human Services Dept. Artist of the Month 2005 Longview, WA

**White Sturgeon Art Gallery, An Invitational Show “Where Water Wanders” Jan-Feb 2005 Vancouver, WA

*Caswell Gallery, Paint the Gorge – En Plein Air Show 2004 & 2005 Troutdale, OR

*Lake Oswego Festitval of the Arts “The Artists Vision” 2004 Lake Oswego, OR

*Columbian Artists Annual Show, 2004 Longview, WA

Grant House, Officers Row, Fort Vancouver, Norhtwest Oil Painters Guild Show 2004 Vancouver, WA

Taketa Gallery, Norhtwest Oil Painters Guild Show 2004 Vancouver, WA

Gallery 21 Member & Artist of the Month, 2003-2004 Vancouver, WA

**Silver Lining Gallery Artist of the Month 2003 Battle Ground, WA


AWARDS:

2nd Place - Ventura County Motive Art Show 2011 'Waitin' for a Collector'

Judges Choice Award - Ridgefield Art Association Show & Sale 2009 “The Road Home”

1st & 2nd Place Oil - Ridgefield Art Association Show & Sale 2006 “A Day on the River” & “Heart of Quartz Creek”

2nd Place Oil - Ridgefield Art Association Show & Sale 2005 “Ridgefield Farm”

Honorable Mention - Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts 2004 “Heart of Quartz Creek”

2nd Place Oils/Acrylics - Ridgefield Art Association Show & Sale 2004 “A Day on the River”

Best of Show – Battle Ground Art Alliance Spring Show 2003 “Quartz Creek”

Honorable Mention – Battle Ground Art Alliance Spring Show 2002 “West Portland Country”

Best of Show Annual Artist Hangout Gallery Student Art Show 1993 “Annie”

2 Best of Class Annual Artist Hangout Gallery Student Art Show 1993 “Dream Boat” & “Triumph TR-3”




ART STUDIES AND EDUCATION:

Eric Jacobsen - Plein Air Landscape Painting Workshop Vancouver, WA 2008

Jim Lamb - OPA Plein Air Workshop Kirkland, WA 2004

Stan Capon - Landscape Oil Painting Classes Clark College, Vancouver, WA 2002-04

Ken Auster - Plein Air Workshop – Oil Painting Laguna Beach, CA Aug. 2001

Sharon Yatzko - Watercolor Classes Artist Hangout Gallery – Karen Clark Rancho Cucamonga, CA 1992-94

California State University - Pomona, CA Graduate Program in Urban Planning 1977-80

California State University - Pomona, CA BS Environmental Design, Major in Urban Planning, 1970

Allen Hancock College – Santa Maria, CA Associated Arts Degree, Major in Architecture 1967


ARTIST ASSOCIATIONS:

Portland Art Museum – Portland, OR Rental Sales Gallery Volunteer 2003

President of Northwest Oil Painters Guild 2004-2006

Member of:
Los Padres Artist Guild - Santa Maria, CA 2011
San Luis Obispo Museum of Art – San Luis Obispo, CA 2010-2011
Morro Bay Art Center – Morro Bay, CA 2010-2011
Northwest Oil Painters Guild – Vancouver, WA 2003-2008
Battle Ground Art Alliance – Battle Ground, WA 2003-2004
Ridgefield Art Association – Ridgefield, WA 2003-2009
Splash – Portland, OR 2004-2005
City of Vancouver, WA Mural Project 2004
Gallery 21 (an Artist Co-Op) 2003-2004

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