Westlake Village Art Guild: Home

10/7/08

Ron McKee
December 2, 2008 Demo Artist

Ron McKee's paintings are "upbeat" - filled with color and energy. Both happy and serene. Rich blues, cadmium reds and greens, mauves and violets, oranges, pinks, golden and lemon yellows applied in rich strokes of oil color all harmonize in contemporary impressionism of a Ron McKee painting.

This imaginative juxtaposition of vibrant colors set against the muted values creates sunny images for his garden and landscape paintings. The paint is boldly applied on linen canvas. You sense an awareness of "brush calligraphy" where the actual brush stroke, its direction and how it was applied is important. In the studio or on location, he takes great pleasure in painting these vigorous oils, capturing the sparkle and essence of nature. Whatever the subject of his painting, his years as a professional artist have given him a substantial proficiency. There is a bold vitality and color energy in this painter's art.

Learn more on her web site ronmckeestudios.com

Background and Training

Since the age of eight, Ron McKee has known art was to be his career. He studied at Kansas City Art Institute, American Academy of Art in Chicago and was a top graduate of Art Center College in southern California. Working as a illustrator in Detroit, San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles.

Ron has provided art for Ford, GM, Chrysler, Arco, 3M, Readers Digest, Universal Studios and Mattel Toys, among others.

Recently he completed a series of nine large oil paintings for the Irvine Company for the "Newport Coast Exhibit" picturing their luxury housing development.

McKee has traveled and sketched around the world and ten of his paintings are included in the U.S. Air Force Documentary Art Collection in Washington, D.C. Six of his "garden paintings" are published and distributed by Aaron Ashley of New York. He is a past president of both the San Francisco Society of Illustrators and the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators as well as the Society of Art Center Alumni. He also served for two years as president of Westlake Village Art Guild in the community in which he has resided since 1970.

His paintings are marketed directly through numerous shows and select galleries.