Untitled

Size: 30 x 22 

Medium: Acrylic on Paper

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.

Creative Growth / Oakland, CA