Featured Artist.jpg

r o n e. p o w e l l

2nd Prize Winner

FIRED UP! Competition

	home: title: medium: price: website: contact:		irvington, nj/usa John 9:13 Self-Portrait oil on wood/ash $3000 www.reap13.com mail@reap13.com


Armor 14 Trust $3500 Oil on Wood 24"x 48"		Dragon Lilly $500 Oil on Canvas 11" x 14"

Artist Statement

Ron EA Powell mixes a variety of textures, techniques and styles in his haunting yet strangely tranquil paintings. The sensuous faces of his subjects are often framed by painterly brushwork and expressionist flourishes, but whatever amalgam of techniques he uses, Ron's concern is always the emotional impact of his portraits. At times pensive, contemplative or unabashedly fervent, Ron's subjects reveal themselves to us while remaining enigmatic.

Armor depicts the figure being the armor, representing protection for its bearer. The figure in the painting is portrayed as a shell, 'eyes are the window to the soul', removing them creates a mysterious void like atmosphere that adds to the sporadic abstracted backgrounds representing moments in time. Furthermore, by removing the eyes/soul, it is left to the interpretation of the viewer of the figure's true intent and purpose to its possessor. Determining the purpose of the armor can through time be left to one who decides to bear it. As with life you decide to bear and choose the people in your life that will affect the outcome of molding oneself.

John 9:13 is an interpretation alluding to rebirth and embarking on new paths/journeys. 'They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.' -American King James Version . This painting was done with a method of actually burning the surface of the wood. So in-turn the piece even in technique it was a rebirth from the fiery ashes.

Dragon Lily is a part of a collection named Hybrid. The flower seemingly ignited with color is juxtaposed with a background of a face lurking within abstracted designs. The bold use of color and dramatic composition seems to scream for the audience's attention.

ArtSceneToday Q&A

Q: Where do you see yourself in the art scene today?

A: As an emerging artist seeing my work appreciated by others; in a way, my art is a personal reflection of me.

Q: What’s your inspiration?

A: My full name is Ron Edward Arthur Powell. My parents gave me the initials REAP. They came from a family of farmers in Jamaica and found it fitting to give me the initials from the proverb, ‘As ye reap so shall ye sow.’ I am proud to have these initials represent my heritage, my art, and my strides in life.

Q: What are your biggest challenges?

A: I feel that there's always a door that I could not walk through for whatever reason or obstacle posed it self to me. But I've learned never to surrender to the world, and not let the world’s excuses be my own.

Q: How did you choose your medium?

A: I think the strong and bold uses of color from the Jamaican culture have reflected through my paintings and living in NJ has aided in selecting my subject matter, medium, and compositions.

Q: Which atist has influenced you the most?

A: There are many but one is John Singer Sargent.