AUGUST 2019 • WWW.SOUTHWESTART.COM 83What inspires you to paint? I’m inspired by
the beauty around me—the changing colors
and the contrasts between light and dark or
warm and cool. I have been given a gift; shar-
ing the beauty I see and feel by creating a
painting is a way to give back.
How would you describe your style? My
style is brushy and bold. I try to capture the
essence of subject matter and don’t get too
concerned with a lot of detail.
Where did you study art? I have an artistic
legacy from my grandmother, but beyond
that, I am pretty much self-taught. In fact,
I was using oils when I was in elementary
school.
What is your creative process like? Mainly it
takes fi nding a place that speaks to me, that
gives me the feeling of being part of nature.
What have been some of the highlights of
your career? Becoming a signature member
of the National Watercolor Society was re-
ally great, and putting together an exhibit on
the art of the Colorado Plateau—which has
traveled throughout Arizona and Utah, and
about which a book is coming—was a won-
derful undertaking. Yet my very favorite mo-ments have been simple, like when someone
tells me they have felt something or have
been moved by my art.
When you’re not creating art, what else do
you enjoy doing? I like anything outdoors,
but it usually combines with my art. I have
traveled thousands of miles on land and
water—in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, in a
motorboat, in a kayak, and on foot—as I
search for new locations to study and paint.
What galleries represent your work?
11th Street Gallery, St. George, UT; http://www.ron
larsonfi neart.com.Ron Larson
cAncient Ones, oil, 30 x 40.
eDouble Arch, oil, 36 x 24.