CA PTU R ING THE SPIRIT
RON N IE FOR D
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CA PTU R ING THE SPIR IT
RON N IE FOR D
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Capturing the Spirit is my third solo exhibition at Ode to Art, Singapore. I am honoured and privileged to have been invited once more to show my work in this professionally-run gallery with its warm and welcoming atmosphere. Here I am amongst dear friends. I am delighted to present this new collection of paintings which reflects my travels and experiences, dreams and meanderings over the past months – the familiar landscapes of the France I love, more recent inspiration from the drama of Switzerland, all celebrating the joyful colours of nature, her mesmerising meadows, her majestic mountains, her bountiful blossoms, her tracery of trees. While always exploring my love of texture, I am striving to stretch the boundaries of my work technically, and to extend the variety of my subject matter. I feel each work should be my singular interpretation of the landscape; each piece should be like my finger prints – unmistakably mine but without a predictable recipe. While some pieces verge on the abstract, and some have the incredible detail necessary to portray the character of the place, in others I have explored the idea that less is more and distilled the essence of what I have experienced to capture the spirit of the scene for me.
Ronnie Ford
FOR E WOR D
It is with utmost delight and anticipation to be able to have Ronnie Ford’s third
depth, his texturescapes become a unique and distinctive experience of viewing
exhibition with us, titled Capturing the Spirit, here at Ode to Art Raffles City.
art for art lovers. In line with Eastern philosophy, his paintings display acceptance of our ultimate mortality, but also seek to celebrate the occasional moments of
If one ever makes the mistake of dismissing landscape painting as monotonous
beauty in our lives. Lovers of vibrant post-Impressionistic works will be enthralled
and uninspiring, one only needs to refer to Ronnie’s paintings to dispel such a
by Ronnie’s obvious commitment to the sentiment and style of the former, and
misconception. The fields, trees, seas and skies of his paintings are not just animate
contemporary art enthusiasts will appreciate his sensitive and refreshing take
objects that collectively present a conventional beauty that are easily overlooked;
on a subject that has been studied by artists since the beginning of time. In an art
instead, they reflect astonishing spirit and character of a place, giving it human
world where concept has become more pivotal than technique, it is ironic that it has
qualities and emotions such as joy, contentment, sorrow and anticipation. His
become so difficult to admire objects and subjects of unembellished simplicity.
paintings can hence be perceived as magnificent projections of the modern desire to flee from the cacophony of everyday life into the calm, vast, meditative spaces of the
It is my opinion that Ronnie bucks the trend and proves that honest, understated
natural world.
works can be uplifting and engaging. My friendship with Ronnie is indeed a gem to be treasured and I appreciate the life lessons that I have been able to gleam from his
In our previous exhibition with Ronnie, a number of his pieces featured specifically
works. I hope you will enjoy this third exhibition, Capturing the Spirit, as much as I do.
the region of Bordeaux in Southwestern France which I have had the honor of visiting. Being able to witness the actual landscapes that are painted by Ronnie over the years is a humbling and awe-inspiring experience as I could match what my eyes saw – the trailing landscapes, countless chateaus, and vineyards– with Ronnie’s vividly pieced together landscapes that are even more rich and magnificent. Indeed, one of Ronnie’s many talents as an artist is his ability to capture the spirit of a place and its essence. Our memories of a place are always more vivid and palpable in hindsight than seeing it in real time. One key point of Ronnie’s style of painting is that he rarely paints on location, but chooses to “look, photograph and sketch” his immediate impressions of the landscapes he traverses, before returning home to paint them in detail. As such, his paintings commemorate the authenticity and rawness of his most instinctive responses to these landscapes, and convey a sense of deep-seated intimacy with his subject matter. His art has also evolved to explore and articulate the epistemology of Asian art, perhaps due to the fact that he has lived and worked in Hong Kong for more than ten years. His paintings are bathed in vibrant, compact colors that bring the entire landscape to life; coupled with usage of other mediums to create the textures and
Jazz Chong Director, Ode To Art
Bluebell Wood 40 × 40 cm
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Autumn Haze 40 × 40 cm
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Approaching Shadows, Emmental 120 Ă— 150 cm
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Close-up of textures
Autumn Rhapsody 120 × 157 cm
Bountiful Blossom 40 × 40 cm
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Pommiers au Bord de la Mer 30 x 30 cm Ripples of Red 120 x 140 cm
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Early Summer Harvest 30 Ă— 30 cm
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Lavender Lullaby 120 × 150 cm
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Les Couleurs de Printemps 120 × 150 cm
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Little Tree Symphony 50 × 150 cm
French Flavours 20 × 20 cm
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Mediterranean Medley 20 x 20 cm
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Nature’s Shawl 90 x 90 cm
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Mountain Majesty 90 x 90 cm
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Close-up of textures
Mountain Mystery 90 x 90 cm
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Purple Mountains 20 x 20 cm Overlooking Collioures 30 x 30 cm
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Olivers au Bord de la Mer 30 x 30 cm
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Spring Tapestry 90 x 90 cm
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Close-up of textures
Distant Farm 20 × 20 cm
Spring Sky 20 x 20 cm A Cote de la Mer 20 x 20 cm Le Phare, Port-Vendres 25 x 25 cm
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Lines In The land 80 x 120 cm
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Rhythms in Red Yellow and Blue 50 x 150 cm
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Close-up of textures
Spirit Of The Forest 71 x 150 cm
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Lonesome Pine 20 x 30 cm
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Sunlight and Shadows, Emmental 120 x 120 cm
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Yellow Sunset 20 x 20 cm Petite Tresor 9 10 x 10 cm Wheatfield, Provence 24 x 30 cm
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Petite Tresor 3 10 x 10 cm
Starflowers in the Last Light 30 x 180 cm
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Petite Tresor 6 10 x 10 cm
Petite Tresor 1 10 x 10 cm
Petite Tresor 8 10 x 10 cm
Petite Tresor 5 10 x 10 cm
Petite Tresor 7 10 x 10 cm
Petite Tresor 10 10 x 10 cm
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Petite Tresor 11 10 x 10 cm Tranquil Meadow 20 x 20 cm Petite Tresor 4 10 x 10 cm
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Cornflower Meadow 120 x 150 cm
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Close-up of textures Petite Tresor 2 10 x 10 cm
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Late Summer Melody 120 × 150 cm
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BIO GR A PH Y
Ronnie Ford was born in Dunoon, Scotland and studied at the Glasgow
He recently formed the Vibrant Arts Movement, promoting young artists and
School of Art. He taught art in Scotland, England, Germany and Hong Kong
musicians in a creative spiral of art inspiring music inspiring dance inspiring
for a total period of thirty years during which time as Head of Department
poetry and inspiring food. He has recently worked with the Vibrant Arts
and Director of Art he regularly exhibited his own work. Ronnie has been
Band, German composer, David Hueger and 8 times Emmy Award-winning
highly successful as a full-time professional artist for 13 years since he
flautist Kat Epple.
launched his career with sell-out shows in Hong Kong and London. He has built a strong international presence with successful group and solo shows in Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore and the USA. Ronnie’s work is in private, public and corporate collections worldwide, including the French Consulate, Hong Kong, Bank of South Australia, Strathclyde University, NHS Scotland, and English Schools Foundation. He has several commissioned pieces in the Cotswold House Hotel, officially opened by Sir Terence Conran and he has donated works to Princes Trust, Esther Benjamins Trust, Society for Aids Care, Mary’s Meals, Muir Maxwell Trust, MacMillan Cancer Care and Smileawi among others. His work has appeared on television several times and was used as a major feature of MTV music video by Canto pop and film star, Sammie Cheng. Ronnie’s work has been featured several times in Elle Decoration, Eve International, Boutique, The Tatler, Homes and Interiors, Scotland and Scottish Field. His work has also been reviewed in Ming Tao, South China Sunday Post, The Hong Kong Standard, The HK Magazine, Uptown Magazine, The Saturday Herald, Cover Magazine (Hong Kong), Bonita NewsPress, Talk of the Islands and Florida Weekly. In a juried show in USA he was awarded an Honourable Mention as well as voted the People’s Choice Award for his work. His proposal for a large installation was one of 15 selected for an exhibition opening at the Sydney and Berne Davis Art Centre, Florida before going on a tour of the USA. Ronnie’s bas-relief painting of Buddha was chosen as a centre piece for an exhibition in the Homage to Buddha show at the daas Gallery in Florida. Ronnie was invited to contribute work to the 21st Anniversary of the opening of Sydney Berne Davis Arts Centre, Fort Myers, Florida. Sponsors of Ronnie’s shows have included Virgin Atlantic Airways, Remy Martin and Mega Reve.
He is a regular artist-in-residence at Ode to Art Gallery in Singapore, where he leads workshops for adults and children.
R H Y T H M S O F N A T U R E , O D E T O A R T, 2 0 1 6
R ECE N T E X H IBITIONS A N D E V E N TS
2018
Capturing The Spirit, Ode to Art, Singapore
2016
Rhythms of Nature, Ode to Art, Singapore
2015
Edinburgh Art Fair with Strathearn Gallery
Hong Kong Art Fair with Ode to Art, Singapore
Torrance Gallery Edinburgh
Artist-in-residence, Ode to Art, Singapore
Strathearn Gallery, Crieff
2014
2010
Kings Road Gallery, London
MacGregor Fine Art, Glasgow daas gallery, Fort Myers,
Florida Sydney and Berne Davies Art Centre, Fort Myers, Florida
Kranenburg Fine Art, Oban Chelsea
Art Fair Art Monaco
REO Art Fair, London
Kranenburg Fine Art, Oban
King’s Road Gallery, London
MacGregor Fine Art, Glasgow
Singapore Art Fair with Ode to Art, Singapore
Cadogan Hotel, London
Gateway Festival, Vibrant Arts, Dunoon
Torrance Gallery, Edinburgh
Affordable Art Fair, Hong Kong with Ode toArt, Singapore
Howl Gallery, Ft Myers, Florida
Edinburgh Festival Exhibition. Torrance Gallery,Edinburgh
Strathearn Gallery, Crieff
Spring Exhibition, Torrance Gallery, Edinburgh
Glasgow Art Fair
Hong Kong Art Fair with Ode to Art, Singapore
Affordable Art Fair, London
2013
Solo Show, Ode to Art, Singapore
Sydney Berne Davies Anniversary Exhibition, Fort Myers, Florida
New Owners’ Inaugural Exhibition, Strathearn Gallery, Crieff
Torrance Gallery Edinburgh
2012
Kings Road Gallery, London
MacGregor Fine Art, Glasgow Vista Palace,
Monaco Greens and Blues, North Berwick
Torrance Gallery, Edinburgh
Iona House Gallery, Woodstock Ode to Art, Singapore
2011
Vista Palace, Cote d’Azur
Kings Road Gallery, London
Kranenburg Fine Art, Oban Ode to Art, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur
Torrance Gallery, Edinburgh
Iona House Gallery, Woodstock Hong Kong
Art Fair Kings Road Gallery, London
Vibrant Arts, Roggenburg, Germany
Capturing The Spirit Ronnie Ford First published 2018 Ode To Art Raffles City 252 North Bridge Road, Raffles City Shopping Centre, #01-36E/F, Singapore 179103 Tel: +65 6250 1901 Fax: +65 6250 5354 info@odetoart.com odetoart.com Š Ode To Art 2018 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed and bound in Singapore
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