Ron Elstad's Biography - 2006

Ron Elstad's art work, like good wine, has improved decisively during his thirty years as a professional artist. He began his profession soon after graduating from Santa Ana College in 1976 with an AA degree in communications. After a twelve year period as a freelance illustrator, he turned his efforts toward his long-time dream of being a painterly-style fine artist in 1989. Ron's first action was to engage in studies with Dan McCaw for a period of a year. He went on teaching himself by making intense studies directly from the original paintings of the well-known turn-of-the-century impressionists. The knowledge and emotional inspiration received from these intense studies ignited the fires in his creative soul. This and other similar experiences along the way have proven invaluable in culminating the integral quality and great beauty found in his work today.

Through hard work and dedication Ron has received numerous awards acknowledging a high degree of excellence in his work. Among these awards are two gold medals and a best of show awarded at the Society of Illustrators' prestigious annual Illustrations west show in 1989. As a best of show winner, he was presented with the "Joseph Henninger award". This award was the highest and most prestigious award given to an illustrator on the west coast at the time. Ron's "best of show" painting received further acclaim when it was published full page in Communication Art Magazine, which is a highly regarded industry publication. Later he went on to win a bronze award from Art of California Magazine's discovery awards competition in 1993-94. Later he was accepted by a jury of his peers to participate in the first, second and fourth annual Oil Painters of America exhibit in Chicago Illinois. Because of this achievement he was bestowed the honor and privilege of a signature membership status. Furthermore, Ron is also a long time standing artist member of the renowned California Art Club.

Ron is currently represented by the Susanne Hollis Gallery, located in old South Pasadena, California, the Montana Trails Gallery in Bozeman, Montana, the Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson, Arizona, and the Timmons Gallery, in Rancho Santa Fe, California. His previous representation spans many elite galleries in this country: the Redfern Gallery, the Joan Irvine Smith Fine Arts Gallery and the Wendt Gallery all in Laguna Beach, California, the Trailside Gallery in Carmel, California, the Taos Galley in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the Morseburg Gallery in west Hollywood, California.

[ Ron Elstad's Resume]