Meet NUNUM's Contributor: Ronald Walker

NUNUM

Blending Flash Fiction & Art

Interview with Ronald Walker

We paired Ronald's work up with Kindergarten by Thomas Kearnes in our Winter 2020 issue and it made us feel good, oh so good. Usually, we're happy about how our pieces turn out but really with this one the images and the words just came together so perfectly that despite all the COVID nonsense raging all over the world this combination let us hide our collective heads for a few wonderful moments. And who doesn't need that right now?

Which contemporary artist do you most admire?

Contemporary artist I admire.  I chose the Southern California artist Gerd Koch, unfortunately Gerd passed away a couple of months ago at the age of 92. Gerd was both a highly gifted Abstract Painter and an excellent teacher and communicator. Much of the nuts and bolts of my painting comes from Gerd.

Thank you for that, always nice to learn about one more wonderful artist and I'm sorry to hear about his passing.

Buckle Up by Ronald Walker

Is there an artist in your local community that you would recommend people check out?

On Empty by Ronald Walker

Artist in the community I would recommend, I am recommending The artist Jeff Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong is a talented and imaginative artist who has been creating a series called Chaos over the last few years. Highly detailed and beautifully rendered pen and ink drawings that you come to realize are completely abstract. His work can be viewed at chaos drawings 2020.
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What advice would you give someone who is just starting to send their work out to journals?

Starting out advice, Three things, One, Try to create a habit of creating each and everyday. Two, Work hard, especially at what you consider your weaknesses. Three, You will be rejected, most likely a lot  over the years, but persevere, you have something to offer, don't quit.

Artist Statement:

Suburban Primitive art came about from my interest in primitive art, combined with the knowledge that man has not changed genetically in any major way in the last sixty thousand years coupled with my feeling that the problems of being human probably have changed little as well. My general belief is that life in the suburbs is as exciting and as interesting as anywhere else. People are people and most problems seem to be not only universal but timeless as well. Historically art movements have mostly developed in major cities because of the interaction and exchange of ideas between artists. With the rise of the internet, I feel that this advantage has largely evaporated.

The Pan by Ronald Walker

Quality art can and will develop anywhere, cities, suburbs or country.

Ugly Duck by Ronald Walker

Much of my work is autobiographical in nature with some recurring themes such as...flux, (change), containment and a sense of mystery, wondering what it's all about. The work combines both primitive images along with images from the modern suburban experience. In the last few years my work has been primarily done in gouache or graphite. The gouache dries quickly and enables me to build up color layers and the pencil is fast and convenient. Most of my paintings average 11”x14” making the work both portable and intimate.

I have been shown in more than 40 solo exhibitions as well as

over two hundred group shows. My work has been published in several magazines and books and my biography is in Who’s Who in American Art. I hold an MFA in painting from the University of Kansas and a MA in painting from CMSU. I am represented by the Mahlstedt Gallery in New Rochelle, New York. I live with my wife and two children in the Sacramento area of California, where I teach and produce art for a living. I hope my work touches the viewer in some way, thought, emotion or memory and makes the journey of life just a bit better.

Virus Party by Ronald Walker

Mr. Walker is an artist living and working in the Sacramento

Ronald Walker

area of California. He works in a style he terms "Suburban Primitive", which combines his interest in the origins and functions of art along with life in the suburbs. His work has been in 45 solo exhibits to date, He holds both a MFA and a MA in art. He has received several awards including Marquis Who's Who lifetime achievement award.

Kindergarten words by Thomas Kearnes, art by Ronald Walker

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Blending Flash Fiction & Art

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