By Jennifer Gruenke, Record-Bee
LAKE COUNTY >> Ron Keas’ twelfth Christmas was a pretty good one, seeing as he received something that would set him off on a path to his future career. “I got a photography kit for Christmas, a dark room kit, and enjoyed that,” said Keas.
A photograph by artist Ron Keas.
From that point on, Keas learned the tricks of good lighting, composition, color and everything else needed to make a successful photograph. At San Jose City College he continued studying the craft as an Art of Photography major, until he left school for the Navy after two years.
But he didn’t put his camera down. His passion for the artform lead him to complete the Naval School of Photography and he began operating a camera for the military. “I was a photographer in the Vietnam War for four years,” said Keas. “I did a lot of dark room work and printing of maps for bombings photographing planes crashing on decks and stuff. It was exciting, but I prefer what I’m doing now.”
Today, on top of freelancing photography, Keas also creates oil paintings for a living. He’s been working with the medium since he was a young teen. “I’ve been doing it since I was in high school. I started in the ninth grade and learned pretty much just on my own,” he said.
Keas loves the two mediums for different reasons. Photography is particularly enjoyable because it allows him to express his unique vision. “It’s like I’m framing nature with my camera. I’m putting a frame around scenes that I like,” he explained. “I prefer nature photography over other kinds.”
Oil painting, on the other hand, has a permanence that Keas is drawn to. “Other mediums fade over time but not oil paint,” he said.
Keas paints a variety of scenes, from seascapes to sunsets at the lake to still life, but where he finds the most joy is portrait painting. “I like my art to look back at me, that’s why I do portraits. I like their eyes looking right back at me,” he explained. “They just seem more alive.”
When it comes to his portraits, Keas is highly concerned with making work that stands out. “When I do an oil painting I find pictures, usually on the internet, and then I’ll put a face with a different body and a different background so it’s original,” he said. “I don’t just copy a photo I try to tell a story with each oil painting.”
One example of Keas’ storytelling is a recent oil painting he completed of Hillary Clinton, who he actively supports in the hopes that she will be the next President. “The big [painting] with Hillary has all her family pictures in the back on a table behind her,” said Keas.
Clinton’s portrait is far from the first political painting that Keas has created. He’s created many portraits of Obama, always depicting him in a good light. “I support Obama with my positive artwork and I make fun of the Republicans with my satire artwork. There’s a lot of people that are really open for that.”
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