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RON RANSON -PAINTER
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Posted
I decided it was time to clear my bookshelf of unwanted art books. For Starters I selected two by Ron Ranson He was once quite popular and ran courses from his house in the Wye Valley. I don't know if he is still alive and active.
I once went to one of his popular demonstrations where he painted complete watercolours with a Japanese Hake. My surplus books, published in 1995, were part of a series called 'Ron Ransons Painting School.' Although he wrote the text the illustrations were commissioned from other artists. In the case of the book on Oils the artist is Trevor Chamberlain. A talented painter in both Oils and Watercolour
The books are destined to be gifted to my local art group. We are lucky to have a lockable wall cupboard with a shelf of art books for our members to use for reference.
Posted
Disappointing that there has been no response to my thread on Ron Ranson. He sponsored a loose free method of of working in Watercolour which he achieved by using the Japanese Hake. This brush was not used very frequently until Ron came on the scene.
One of our LAS members taught painting classes at Hafren College near Welshpool. She used to occasionally give talks and demonstrations at our LAS meetings. I remember discussing one of ‘Ron Ranson’s Painting School’ books. She was quite dismissive, “Robert ‘Discovering Watercolour’ by Jack Merriott is the only book you need. Forget all of the others.” She proved to be right The book had long been out of print but I picked up a second-hand hardback copy in good condition at a book sale. It served me well for several years until David Curtis: ‘Light and Mood in Watercolour’ came along in 2005.
Ron Ranson died in 2016 aged 93. It is worth reading the tributes paid to him on the internet. Start with ‘Ron Ranson obituary’ on Google. There are tributes from across the world and a short video.
Posted
Just a short anecdote. A couple of well respected watercolour artists with whom I've had the pleasure of spending some time (and I won't give their names for obvious reasons) always referred to Ron Ranson as Rancid Ron. I've no idea why but it has always stuck in my memory and I can't help smiling whenever I recall it.
Posted
I didn't see this thread at all - can't imagine why. Anyway! Ron did rather divide opinion; some traditional watercolourists took against his use of the hake, some even complaining that he made watercolour look 'too easy' - which I thought an odd complaint at the time, and still do. I don't think the technique is easy, but he may have given this impression because for most of the time he was teaching - so went for instant effect, with clean washes, and a minimum of colours. I like some of his work more than other examples of it, but the point wasn't necessarily to paint like Ron Ranson - rather, to learn how to use the brush so that you could adapt it to your own style (and vice versa). The 'rancid Ron' comments came from professional jealousy, irritation, the move away from fine sables, and various other reasons: but principally, I think, from the fact that he was popular: that enduring sin which the British so hate. Until they embrace it and pretend that they admired it so from the very beginning, of course.
There's not much of Ron himself on YouTube, though dvd's are available from the usual places; but you can find demonstrations by Steve Cronin, Dave Usher, and lately Alan Owen who has taken to using the hake - all quite different from each other, and from Ron. And incidentally, they have Patreon channels - so, if you've the cash and inclination, you can support them to make more videos. (I have no financial investment in said artists...)
Posted
I use a hake now and then, with mixed success - the secret of it (though it does indeed 'wear in' over time) is to squeeze water out of it; if you do, the hairs will come together .... snag is, they won't keep an edge, so you have to re-wet it, squeeze it again, and start afresh. It's a matter of judgement as to how much water you need; and you develop that over time. I think Alan Owen uses it as simply and straightforwardly as anyone.
It's also good for the initial wetting of the paper, when you can use more water than you would when painting with it. I think the thing is that it's fun to use - sure you've all heard THAT one before, but it really is. Syd's quite correct that it will produce hake-shaped marks if you're not careful, which you don't necessarily want (though you might); but you can overcome that, depending on how you approach it, and as you get used to it. I'd encourage anyone to have a go - you can still pick these brushes up for a fraction of the cost of of sables and squirrels, I would think those sold by Rosemary & Co are easily as good as the Ron Ranson hakes, and cheaper too (I can't be entirely certain, because I don't use RR hakes). I love using them - there's a tactile pleasure in judging the right amount of paint, and water, and sweeping the brush across the paper: get a big one, and a medium size. Use with a rigger or sword-liner for sharper lines and bits of detail, on a fairly robust paper - I'm sure most will enjoy it, and it's great for loosening up your technique.
Posted
Patreon by the way is a channel on which you can show your videos and people can pay a bit to see them - it's a good way of supporting artists like Alan, Dave and Steve, for example, who have given so much to other painters - helps them buy more paint, paper and brushes. I'd be on it, if I could manage to video myself!
Posted
I think there's something to be learned from every artist, even if in some cases it's how you don't want to paint. Rather than pour over endless text I look at the paintings because the eyes after all are what art is about. We don't really want to copy anyone's style or paintings so much as how they do things and achieve effects. I've read (observed) a couple of Ron Ranson's books and his views on what can be left out make much sense in some cases. His paintings, somewhat bland granted, are his, not ours, so you just take from him what's useful to you. There's no substitute for experience and practise (If you've reached the stage where you don't make mistakes or need practise you should take up photography) In my view, if you ever reach the Ranson stage of achievement, you ain 't doing so badly at all. 😆