Over 20 years ago Ron picked up a brush for the first time and started painting as a release from the corporate world where he was managing his LA based marketing and design firm. In his quest to find what truly inspired him he looked into the eyes of his newly rescued puppy, Rufus,…
…and began on his path of painting bright, colorful, loving dogs.
It wasn’t until he sold a few paintings of the family four-legged kids, that his wife, Buff, said she could no longer part with the paintings and so once more Ron found himself looking for inspiration. He found it next at a local shelter. After painting and selling several of the dog portraits, he donated a percentage back to the shelter, beginning what Ron calls Art is Going to the Dogs.
He might have remained content painting shelter animals but on September 11, 2001, he witnessed, along with all Americans, the world change forever. As he watched the events unfold he saw the story of Sirius, the explosive detection dog that died in Tower II. Ron reached out to Sirius’ handler, David Lim, which led to the painting of Sirius, several search and rescue dogs and pet therapy dogs involved in the tragedy.
Since then he has painted countless dogs that survived insurmountable odds, dogs that devote themselves to service as well as continuing to portray the beauty of rescued dogs and beloved family members.
While painting Sirius, Ron’s father died unexpectedly in October 2001 and upon returning from the funeral his dog Jazzy suffered a massive seizure and he and Buff said good-bye to a much loved friend and companion.
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Visit these other pages to view Ron’s art:
Commissioned Paintings of Collector’s Dogs
Original Paintings
Canvas Editions
Paper Editions
Sculpture
Paintings & Books Inspired by Rufus