Interview
Ronald Harrison Jr.
Ronald Harrison Jr.’s is able to focus on any subject that the commissioner might want.
He does not restrict his work to just portraits, pastiches or parodies. He does all of these, as well as whatever one might inquire about.
What he truly specializes in is the rendering of a subject, be it a person, animal or object commissioned to a particular specification. His work is entirely dependent on the person he is doing the work for; it has to be what they want.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I was born and raised in Aiken, South Carolina where I spent the first 18 years of my life. After graduating high school, I attended a vocational school in Bamberg, South Carolina where I took up plumbing. Ultimately, I did not get a job as a plumber upon graduating from the trade school, but instead worked as a public works laborer for the City of Orangeburg, South Carolina, for 7 years. In 2018, I migrated from South Carolina to Tennessee, where I am currently living now. The reason for the pilgrimage was an attempt to be more successful in my artistic endeavors.
I've been drawing ever since I was 7 years old. My very first memory of making art was a sketch I did of Tommy and Chuckie from the hit Nickelodeon show ‘Rugrats’. From that point on, I felt a need to draw anything that enthralled me, be it a person, animal or fictional character; to get it on paper, no matter how crude the sketch was. I made my first ever painting at the age of 9 when I was in the 4th grade. It was of a crushed Mountain Holler soda can. At the age of 20, I sold my first ever painting for $20 to a teaching assistant at the aforementioned trade school. It was a portrait of the characters Fred and Lamont from the hit TV show ‘Sanford and Son’. I also had a booth at the Sweetwater Flea Market for the last 2 years where I made custom artworks for passersby.”
How would you describe your work?
“A fellow artist once described my style as ‘loose but structured’. I’d say that my work is a cross between abstraction and semi-realism. I still have a lot to learn.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I don't really have a theme per se. What I truly specialize in are portraits of a client's relative, spouse or pet; whatever they want. The few original pieces I do have, however, include themes of escapism, symbolism, and a couple of pastiches.”
“I’m very inspired by the story of Vincent Van Gogh. Unfortunately, he wasn't a successful artist during his lifetime, but he achieved greatness and notoriety decades after his passing. I would love to achieve some level of that same notoriety - I just hope I can do so while I'm still alive.”
What is your creative process like?
“A client will approach me with a favorite photograph of either themselves, their spouse, a relative (including those who are deceased), their pet or favorite fictional character. They will ask me to reproduce the same image on canvas. In other cases, I’ll be asked to take a subject from two different photographs and put them on the same canvas as if that was the original photograph. I'm basically a less successful, one-man version of Paint Your Life (laughs).”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“It is an artist's role to share his or her talent with the world. They should be able to produce a piece of work, be it a painting, sculpture or what-have-you, and have an observer look at it and drink in the beauty of said piece.
As for the evolution of an artist, I return once more to Devon Rodriguez. Period.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“Two of my pieces are currently in Americus, Georgia where they will be in the first ever exhibition in America at the J Cepeda Art Gallery. More information about this exhibition will be available soon on my social media pages.”
Instagram: @ronaldharrisonjrart
Other: TikTok
