Ron McNeil  The pop art and nonsense of a

21st Century Lear !

‘Originally from the rural outskirts of Muir Of Ord (a small village in the Scottish Highlands), I grew up as self confessed Geek, reading a crazy amount of comic books like 2000AD, Starlord, Marvel and DC etc, also loads of sci fi and mythology. As a child I had an exceptional aptitude for art and literature, not to mention an off kilter sense of humour and imagination.’

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During his early education, Ron’s art teachers commented that his artwork had a surrealistic and expressive feel with lots of potential. It was through this encouragement that Ron realised that he had talent and a passion for creativity, so embarked on developing his own style of experimental art and study of art history.

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Ron then progressed to study Fine Art at some of the UK’s most prestigious Art Colleges. He gained a Foundation Certificate in Art and Design from the Cumbria Institute of the Arts in 1989; a BA (Hons) Degree in Fine Art and Photo Media Studies from Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design, University of the Arts, London in 1993; and went on to complete a Masters of Fine Art (MFA) from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee, with a focus on Fine Art and Public Art in 1996.

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After exploring many different forms of expressive media such as sculpture, printmaking, photography and even performance art, Ron has settled for his first creative love -  painting! Ron creates a depth of visual resources grounded in popular culture combined with an exuberance for the eclectic and a joy in the unusual and the nonsensical.

 

‘I describe myself as quirky, humorous, ironic, Imaginative, surreal and  knowledgeable, and these qualities can be seen in much of my work,  some of which can often seem cutsey, nonsense and fun.’

 

Ron lives in Inverness with his wife and son (who happens to share his Dad’s love of nonsense and fun!),  where they are awaiting the arrival of their new pet dog -  half chihuahua and half Yorkshire terrier named Tuco!

 

Dr. Trudy Barber FHEA FRSA.