fred is dead and I am back as I am

**ron lemen** · December 7th, 2006, 08:32 PM

Hello all. It's been a while. I wish I could say that here is a big heap of stuff to show, but fact is, I have scraps from a few years ago I can show, and a few new paintings that might indicate where I am heading next with my work, but besides the music paintings it is older stuff for a bit. The rest I have to wait several more months until I can unleash the new set of illustrations that I feel have taken me to a new level with my own work. I am moving further from 100% digital illustrating and doing a combination of traditional and digital now, finding my voice as it is. I will do a few soon and show you what I am doing. Very different for me, until then, enjoy the old me...heh

I had to skip out on all the festivities for a while to reinvent myself as it were. This year and next year are going to be big adjustment years for my work, and what my wife and I do with our studio.

I will explain more in the next few threads to come. I want to separate the subjects just in case I am posting in the wrong spot, I want to be sure the right catagories stay where they need to.

I look forward to seeing everyone in SF, its going to be one fun time. I will post again shortly, with lots more info. Thanks for taking time to read this and view the works.

Ron

PS, these are not shot all that well...

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**Francis** · December 7th, 2006, 08:35 PM

Ron I just see forbidden linking graphics.

Anyway looking forward to seeing new stuff!

**ron lemen** · December 7th, 2006, 08:38 PM

why can I see the art? hmm..

**Francis** · December 7th, 2006, 08:43 PM

weird, NOW i can see em. NICE - so sorry I missed the reception bro.

**theincredibleandy** · December 7th, 2006, 08:45 PM

I love the second one, and I dig the drawing for the third painting. That guitarist's fingers look really interesting. I see bits and pieces of really interesting stuff in here, and I can hardly wait to see the your secret new art. Excellent!

**AztcFireFlower** · December 7th, 2006, 08:45 PM

I see them and they're awesome. Have always loved the traditional look and approach for illustrations. These are wonderful portraits, in particular, I love the attitude in the close up of the base players face. His face is just beautiful, so engrossed in his music.

**Mitchell** · December 7th, 2006, 09:03 PM

Wow these are great ron, It's great to have you back showing us how it's done.

**ron lemen** · December 7th, 2006, 09:27 PM

here are a few more images, random pickins...heh

Ron

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**jrr** · December 7th, 2006, 09:49 PM

looking good ron, so what are you going to use, photoshop or painter for the digital.

**el coro** · December 7th, 2006, 09:57 PM

cant wait to see ya brudda. there will be much rejoicing and some tickling.-c36

**Elwell** · December 7th, 2006, 10:07 PM

Hey Ron, it's great to have you back. While you were gone you missed the big news, which is that you can now directly upload attachments to the CA servers. That should solve your remote linking and bandwidth problems.

**Scorned1** · December 7th, 2006, 10:37 PM

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

enough said!

**liquidwerx** · December 7th, 2006, 10:48 PM

Wow. Sincerely missed your work dude, good to have you back. =)

M

**Bloodstone** · December 7th, 2006, 11:01 PM

Ron, these are all great paintings! I really loved what you had to say at the gnomon workshop about not getting too caught up in the drawing process and keeping design lines consistant. Your presentation was wonderful and inspiring. I can't wait to see new work from you!

**Idiot Apathy** · December 7th, 2006, 11:05 PM

Guh!

Back for keeps I hope? Promise?

**Kevin Lam** · December 8th, 2006, 12:49 AM

Beautiful work Ron, love the expressions.

**Atmospheria** · December 8th, 2006, 02:12 AM

awesome works ron, welcome back!

**Cicinimo** · December 8th, 2006, 02:23 AM

Beautiful work, the second one is totally unbelievable. Also, I enjoyed your demo at gnomon last weekend!

**Pigeonkill** · December 8th, 2006, 03:13 AM

Damn Nice! I played mtg too.

**Eric Gerhard** · December 8th, 2006, 05:06 AM

Amazing work! Great job!

**George Bieber** · December 8th, 2006, 05:25 AM

My favorite is the guy with the harp. Really cool!

**carnalizer** · December 8th, 2006, 05:42 AM

Holy macaroni!! I'm totally numbstruck!

**Art_Addict** · December 8th, 2006, 01:36 PM

Cool to see some new work from you.
Welcome back Ron !
Any chance you have more juicy gouache paintings?
I still remember seeing those in your sketchbook, they were amazing!

**Rich Pellegrino** · December 8th, 2006, 02:08 PM

It is great to have you back here, your tutorials helped me learn so much. Looks like I have some new material now too. Thanks Ron!

**Jason Manley** · December 8th, 2006, 05:31 PM

fred will be missed but...

long live ron lemen!

That is a big batch of work for not having much to show. Thanks for the inspiration. I look forward to seeing you at Insomania in a few days man. Cant wait.

J

**ron lemen** · December 9th, 2006, 12:43 AM

Dag, so many cool faces again. Thank you, everyone for what you said. I am really stoked to be back and SF is going to be the shiiiiiiiieet...

JRR-Painter it is...heh Photoshop has been fun, but painter is giving me hope for more...

Skipping out of turn-Jason, thank you very much, and damn dude, this place has changed. I am very impressed with it all. THe batch of work I want to show is not what I can show...I will find a way to break that NDA heh

CORO-in a few days....doh....I can't wait to see you and Mel again, everyone for that matter...cannot wait, and you have to finish that sketch in my book this time around yo....I love those canvases you posted, your digital landscapes are freekin incredible, and the budda, WOW texture king...heh One more week....

Francis, you better go to the next one, you missed the most amazing entertainment...heh, I need to come down and have lunch with you soon...

Elwell, thank you for that info. Who do I email about that? That is awesome considering these are on a free space server and will crash soon as more view it...heh

Art Addict-let me dig a bit, I know I have a lot of gouaches, didnt even think about that...thank you for the kind words...

voodoochile, carnalizer, george bierber, eric, pigeonkill,cicinimo,atmospheria, kevin, scorned, liquidworks, bloodstone, scorned, idiot, heheh, thank you all for the welcome back and the kind words. I am here for a while, of course it will be a rollercoaster of here a lot then not, but...

I needed a chance to clear my head of the past, find a way to embrace what I appreciate and what I like, not what I am told to like, and stay true to what I believe in. I also had to rethink so much in what I am, what I teach, how I do what I do.

One of the most profound moments for me last weekend at Gnomon was listening to Craig Mullins talk with his young Clone about his work. He said..badly paraphrased..."DOnt look at my work anymore, not that I don't admire your appreciation for me, and that you are honing your skills with my work. I tell you this because, when I was 18, I was told to look at Sargent and the Impressionists, Syd Mead and Frazetta. I went to school to think like they did, and got pretty good at it. I was told to look at more specific artists and be like them. And you know what? Now, when I am the artist I want to be with skill, and I try to do something original, I can't. Why? Because I was trained to be unoriginal, but proficient in a skill set. You are young, appreciate it all. Picasso, Duchamp, Degas, Rothko, anyone and anything. Sculpture, collage art, primitive art. Take it all in because that is what art is. Art is not a set of rules. Art is creatively free from them. Go to school, train yourself in foundation, but do not think that for one moment what you are doing is what art is. Question it all always, and try all things. You find yourself when you find freedom from restrictions, and yet you have understanding of what you are supposed to do within reason of context. Tools arent a bad thing, they train foundation which isnt a medium or a technique. It is a way of seeing, and communicating through your eyes to brain to hand to produce to communicate or evoke in others feelings of any kind that stir them...use all art as a basis for what art is, but dont fall into a rule trap if you can allow yourself."

I agree with him totally. For me to find movement of sound in the music pieces, first of all I had to resign myself to total realism because we just dont see sound. Secondly, I had no tools to help me concieve what I was after other than digital tricks, and I want to paint them. So I had to learn about other artists. I studied the Cubists and the Mannerists and the Futurists, artists I was told elsewhere this stuff is considered Chimp art. Now I embrace it too, if the artist knows what and why he was doing what he was doing and had a vision, a clear vision and not a commercial one, I can probably believe in his work. This is a big change for me coming from the "broken" Atelier method. I say that because unless you go to the east coast, or, prior to 2000, you had to go to the east coast to truly get an atelier education. No one knows how to train artists correctly it seemed. What I found out was that if you do what the ateliers used to do, you wouldnt get any students. Start with casts and progress to life drawing, then eventually life painting. No one will do that. Except every kid that wants to learn to really draw and is on the internet and has a clue...ITs simply not true that no one will do this method of learning. There arent as many interested in it, but those who are know where to go.

By opening up my eyes to more, learning how they do what they do and why, I can now do more for myself than ever before, and I have reason. Art is not random chance when you want something to speak for itself. You have to have a game plan. Most of that comes from knowing your materials so well that you can do anything with them. Learning about other art movements are important because you will learn how to flex the tools we have as each new generation stops listening to the previous for something "New".

Anyway, I liked what Craig said, and I agree, and you wont see me being so stricked about what is and what isnt, just more helpful all around, and with many more angles to dive into it with....thankfully, when you learn this happens.

Thanks everyone again sincerely, I feel like I am home again amongst great art friends...

Ron

**one2hit** · December 9th, 2006, 01:31 AM

Awesome. I finally get to see some more stuff! The Harmonica player blows me away, congrats on the quick sale. Really digging the storyboards, landscapes and the chain-mailed king!! Going to school with you is a trip, it makes being here in Socal all the worth while!

(p.s. shoot some of those heads in your pad!!

)

-Nate

**clearbluepipe** · December 9th, 2006, 11:29 AM

yo RON...

i was just cruisin through concept b4 i went to bed and low and behold, i run across a heavy philosophical discussion that streaches deep into why and what an artist is. those are some deep words my friend and a discussion that i hope everyone has with themselves. merely to be an "art technition" isn't enough, but is easy to do since truly becoming an artist requires one to challenge one's own fears and confort zones. I applaud u on your courage and persistence to find your own voice and depart from 15 (or however many) years of training youve had. You know me, im not one to blow smoke up ur skirt. I know im not the only one who agrees with you! I look forward to seeing u again.

Ray in Taipei

**Carnifex** · December 9th, 2006, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by Jason Manley

!

That is a big batch of work for not having much to show.

plus it's bloody awesome.
you and vanessa have a good time

**P E N Ricklund** · December 9th, 2006, 11:51 AM

Hey Ron, thanks for posting those words. So true, and it feels good to hear them. Those things should be said aloud more often so that people me included snaps out of bad habbits and get the thoughts on the road again.
Glad to see you around here again.

Hugs!