Ron Parker began painting as a career a little late in life. At the age of 35, he was inspired, after seeing an exhibition of original paintings by Fenwick Lansdowne, to try painting wildlife himself.
His first effort, in 1977, was successful and he quit work and began painting full time. Using watercolors, a medium with which he was familiar, he began doing vignette paintings of birds and mammals, Within four months he was selling originals through the Harrison Gallery in Vancouver.
As a young man, Ron had been a basketball player and the Canadian Decathlon Champion in 1966. Using the discipline and perseverance learned in athletic training, he applied himself full time to improving his art, Over the next twenty years, Ron continued to improve his artwork taking what began as illustration to complete paintings that created mood and feeling in their depiction’s of animals in their natural settings.
In order to collect materials for his paintings, Ron and his family have lived next to the Rocky Mountains and on Vancouver Island. He is a keen hiker and backpacker and has drawn on his back country experiences to create the authenticity and verisimilitude found in his paintings.
Although known for his wildlife, Ron is also a landscape artist and portraitist. He has been doing portraits of family members for the past 30 years and has begun doing portraits by commission.
