Ron Chaddock Says...

Some have called me a Renaissance man--you know the type--artist, philosopher, writer, religionist, educator, physicist, inventor, wit… blahblahblah. What about dog-lover, foot-soaker, and armchair cynic? If you must, read on--especially if you like sentimental stuff along with Volkswagen humor, Christian art, Einstein, Shakespeare and Ashland, Oregon.

 
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As A Child
  • As A Child
    As A Child
  • Witchie & Wonnie
    Witchie & Wonnie
  • Rowna, my bride
    Rowna, my bride
  • Ordained
    Ordained
  • First Born - Eric
    First Born - Eric
  • Lil Chaddocks - Rachie, Kev, & Eric
    Lil Chaddocks - Rachie, Kev, & Eric
  • Early Art
    Early Art - Aug. 2, 1966
  • Old Simpson
    Old Simpson
  • Knotty Cedar Gallery-Home
    Knotty Cedar Gallery-Home
  • Inga & Mr. Ashland
    Inga & Mr. Ashland
  • Wise Mother
    Wise Mother
  • Perpetual Pencil
    Perpetual Pencil
  • Church Publications
    Church Publications
  • Church Bulletin
    Church Bulletin
  • Church Bulletin
    Church Bulletin
  • Church Bulletin
    Church Bulletin
  • Lutheran Book Cover
    Lutheran Book Cover
  • Illustrations
    Illustrations
  • Shakespeare Play Rendition
    Shakespeare Play Rendition
  • Love's Labors Lost
    Love's Labors Lost
  • Gallery Showing
    Gallery Showing
  • Los Angeles Gallery
    Los Angeles Gallery
  • Gallery Showing
    Gallery Showing
  • Easy Chair
    Easy Chair
  • Einstein Mandala
    Einstein Mandala
  • Gallery Show
    Gallery Show
  • Good-lookin' Look
    Good-lookin' Look
  • In Laguna
    In Laguna
  • Outdoor Show
    Outdoor Show
  • Reading Avidly
    Reading Avidly
  • Ron, Mom & Richard
    Ron, Mom & Richard
  • So...?
    So...?
  • Year 2000
    Year 2000

As A Child
 
 

I started out as a child in Watsonville, CA, growing wiser alongside my brother Richard, enjoying good friends, community, school (Wildcat yell leader -RAH!), and therein finding a lovely bride. Scholarship to art college eventually led to a call with the Lutheran ministry and travels around the country. Son Eric was born in Springfield, IL, Kevin in Seattle, WA, and Rachel in California.

The Oregon Rogue Valley became home in 1965. An entrepreneurial spirit led me to purchase and morph The Old Simpson Hardware Store building on Ashland's plaza into the creative coop marketplace which became Rare Earth. I hung my artist's shingle along with the other craftworkers and, as rumors go, was coined "Mr. Ashland" for a time.

Interest in the visual arts, promoted by a wise mother endlessly feeding me blank paper and coloring tools, became my passion, as it were. You'll see the perpetual pencil or brush in my hand eager to draw, doodle, sketch, paint, collage. Preferred media became watercolor, tempera, and pen and ink. For some 30 years I was designing weekly church bulletins for Lutherans around the country. Then there were book covers and illustrations. And not just covers, mind you, for soon you'd find me writing and illustrating Shakespeare play renditions for children--which I dedicated to my daughter, Rachel--books that turned up in California schools gifted programs.

I'm pleased to say that my paintings and drawings have been widely exhibited throughout the United States. Numerous art shows in So. Oregon galleries have inspired many local residents to sport a watercolor or two on their walls. Someone said, "his landscapes reveal architectural qualities shaped by an early interest in car design." You're sure to find a car doodle in every volume I've ever read.

My singular portrait was of mentor Albert Einstein completed in 1971. This graphite pencil piece was later reproduced with quotes into prints and note cards, which have enjoyed worldwide distribution. In transitioning from painting, I began creating a variety of mixed media statements reflecting "Uncle Albert's" broad appeal in our culture.

My 67-year stint has been rich and replete. As of 2011, the family has grown to six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, while mom continues to inspire them all. And despite the witty words of muse Mark Twain that "the rumors of my demise are highly exaggerated", alas, I eventually took leave of wife, family, and planet in 2003 for yet greener pastures.

EDUCATION

  • Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey, CA
  • California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA
  • Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, IN

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

  • Rogue Valley Memorial Hospital
  • Ashland Community Hospital
  • Georgia Pacific
  • Crown Zellerbach
  • Kimberly Clark
  • Michael Learned
  • Burgess Meredith
  • Millie Perkins
  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine
  • Princeton University
  • Oxford University