Ron Kenedi

Ron Kenedi’s work is a personal, vibrant reflection of the many eclectic places and times he’s lived in. Born and raised in New York City, Ron came of age during the volatile and seminal 1960s. He attended Stony Brook University where he studied Fine Arts with mentors including Lawrence Alloway, Allan Kaprow, Nam June Paik, and others distinguished teachers. After college, Ron practiced stone lithography at the Art Students League in New York and taught figure drawing at the Mediterranean Institute in Deya, Majorca, Spain where he was on the faculty with Anthony Burgess and Colin Wilson.

His passion for travel and adventure brought him to the Bay Area in 1969, at the height of the counter culture revolution. There he taught drawing and painting workshops alongside residents including Pulitzer Prize-winning poets Gary Snyder and Allen Ginsburg.

As Ron’s technique evolved, his artwork began to take on a look and feel that was representative of his life’s diverse influences, but remained uniquely his own. It’s a style that is mostly figurative, focusing on presenting the essence of the subject. The goal of each piece is to set a mood and tell a visual story that requires the viewer to participate on a visceral and intellectual level. “I want the artwork to be a catalyst for the viewer’s own interpretation and provide meaning beyond the work itself,” he says.

Working in pencil, charcoal, pen/brush and ink, pastels, watercolors, acrylics and oil paint, Ron’s work evokes tones of the classic masters he was influenced by, including Vermeer, Matisse, and Picasso. At the same time, his bold lines, adventurous colors and dramatic shading undeniably reflect the essence of Jazz, R&B, and other pioneering voices from the age he grew up in.

Ron has had shows in many different parts of the world including Suffolk County N.Y., Majorca Spain, Auschwitz concentration camp, Northern California, Southern California and  St. Croix.

He lives in Northern California with his wife and dogs.

Date of birth: 11/03/47, NYC, NY

Attended SUNY ay Stony Brook 1965 -1969