{"id":3743,"date":"2011-07-06T19:01:38","date_gmt":"2011-07-06T19:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=3743"},"modified":"2025-11-14T14:05:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T21:05:54","slug":"the-rural-landscape-according-to-ron-russon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/the-rural-landscape-according-to-ron-russon\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rural Landscape According to Ron Russon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/60.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-98659\" src=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/60.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"993\" height=\"734\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/60.jpg 993w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/60-350x259.jpg 350w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/60-768x568.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 993px) 100vw, 993px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Give a farmer academic art training and watch what happens. Color theory, composition, drawing, and all the principles and elements of design are learned and practiced until they are intuitive. Then, just as the farmer responds to the environment each and every day, the farmer-turned-artist responds, wash-by-wash, stroke-by-stroke, to the way the paint behaves on the canvas.<\/p>\n<p>Ron Russon\u2019s abstracted, expressive landscapes may be a little bit \u201cout there\u201d for those who want to see in a painting exactly what they see in nature. But look a little longer and you\u2019ll feel the textures of the land; you\u2019ll see patterns of fields and fence posts; and you\u2019ll recognize the animals that inhabit farm and prairie.<\/p>\n<p>Over the past 10 years, Russon has developed his signature style, characterized by his use of texture and contrast. As he prepared for his July 2 opening at Gallery MAR in Park City, he took time out to talk about his creative process.<\/p>\n<p>Russon paints on canvas or masonite. He starts most paintings by building up the surface texture with thick gesso. Sometimes he applies it with a thick bristle brush that leaves tracks in the surface; at other times, he carves into the wet gesso to create random patterns. At this stage, he has no idea what the subject of the painting will be.<\/p>\n<p>When the gesso is dry, Russon starts his underpainting. Working at an easel, he allows gravity to partner with him as he applies a wash of oil paint thinned with turpentine so that it runs through the crevices in the gesso-coated surface. Sometimes he paints horizontal bands of color through which the turpentine can run and form patterns.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/64.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-98663\" src=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/64-1200x900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/64-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/64-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/64-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/64.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-3743 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-medium'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/the-rural-landscape-according-to-ron-russon\/66-26\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/66-350x525.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/66-350x525.jpg 350w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/66-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/66-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/66.jpg 830w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/the-rural-landscape-according-to-ron-russon\/65-30\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"467\" src=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/65-350x467.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/65-350x467.jpg 350w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/65-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/65.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/the-rural-landscape-according-to-ron-russon\/62-32\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"467\" src=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/62-350x467.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/62-350x467.jpg 350w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/62-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/62.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/the-rural-landscape-according-to-ron-russon\/61-34\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"467\" src=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/61-350x467.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/61-350x467.jpg 350w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/61-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/61.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Leaving the underpainting to dry overnight, he returns the next morning to see what kinds of colors and patterns have developed. Often he will turn the painting 90 degrees so that the vertical patterns coaxed by gravity are now horizontal. This is when he begins to imagine what this painting wants to be.<\/p>\n<p>From reference photos and sketches, Russon may select a tractor, bison, bull, or horse. These are images of rural life that are authentic and appealing to Russon, who grew up on a dairy farm near Lehi. \u201cWith animals, what you see is what you get,\u201d he says. \u201cA cow can\u2019t fake being a chicken. With people, sometimes they have shells they hide under. That\u2019s why I\u2019m drawn to animals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He might sketch in the subject with paint and a brush, but most of his painting is done with a palette knife. Dragging the paint over the textured underpainting creates more texture. He covers some parts of the underpainting and allows other parts to remain visible.<\/p>\n<p>Russon\u2019s paintings are filled with contrasts: thin, lacy patterns created by the turpentine-thinned paint, next to thick, opaque passages; strong vertical blocks of paint balanced by horizontal bands; warm sienna colors next to cool blues. Russon says all of this is intuitive, rather than planned, but his BYU degree in fine art no doubt fueled this sophisticated intuitive response. \u201cWhen I get logical and plan, the painting dies,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen I get out of my own way, better stuff happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/67.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-98666\" src=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/67.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"714\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/67.jpg 714w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/67-350x441.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 714px) 100vw, 714px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Unlike some artists who work on multiple paintings at the same time, Russon works one at a time, start to finish. The hardest part, he says, is knowing when it\u2019s finished. Unlike a highly realistic painter who glazes many layers to create the illusion of reality, Russon doesn\u2019t like to over-work. Instead, he juxtaposes areas of more paint and detail with areas that are sketchy. The complete process may take several hours or several days as he feels his way through to a satisfying vision.<\/p>\n<p>Some unexpected events helped Russon start his journey from illustrator-designer to fine artist. When the development of digital technology drastically reduced what a designer could charge for previously lucrative work, Russon knew it was time to switch to fine art. Then, after 9\/11, when the art market took a dive, Russon decided he might as well spend his time exploring what he wanted to do. He turned toward abstraction and his own expression of reality, and he hasn\u2019t looked back.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/68.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-98667\" src=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/68.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"975\" height=\"727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/68.jpg 975w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/68-350x261.jpg 350w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/68-768x573.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"byline\">Russon\u2019s work is featured this month, along with Colorado artist Maura Allen, in an exhibit titled\u00a0<em>Spirit of the West,<\/em>\u00a0at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gallerymar.com\" target=\"_new\">Gallery MAR<\/a>\u00a0in Park City. You can also find Russon\u2019s work at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.utahands.com\" target=\"_new\">Utah Artist Hands<\/a>\u00a0and on his web site\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ronrussonstudio.com\" target=\"_new\">www.ronrussonstudio.com<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sue Martin talks with Ron Russon about his process on the occasion of his exhibit at Gallery MAR in Park City.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,60,14],"tags":[281],"class_list":["post-3743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-15-bytes","category-process-points","category-visual_arts","tag-ron-russon"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/RonRussonSlideshow.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-26 02:51:01","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3743"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98668,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3743\/revisions\/98668"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}