Claes Oldenburg once declared that the harder he looked at a thing, the more mysterious it became. I know the feeling. Objects have voiceless, inscrutable physical presences, and memories, as well; these memories are borne on their surfaces as signs of growth or manufacture, use or care, neglect or entropy.
My work stakes out a territory almost exactly halfway between painting and sculpture. My three recurring subjects are vintage clothing, plant materials in the form of leaves, sticks, and occasional flowers, and found objects with some patina of time. All of these I depict in relief constructions of Finnish birch plywood painted in acrylics in a trompe l’oeil manner, enjoying the fusion and confusion of real and illusory form.
Vintage garments have rich structures, colors, and shapes which lend themselves to endless design possibilities. They continue the life of the past into the present, and they function in my work as anthropomorphic presences which become effective stand-ins for the human figure.
I combine imagery, often using paradoxical interruptions and metamorphoses, in hopes of creating visual ‘poems’ of sorts; these suggest metaphors for the relationships of human life and nature, memory, and the passage of time. I intend the content of the work to be as open-ended and evocative as possible, without being pretentious.
Trompe l’oeil (“fool the eye”) could be a gimmick for an artist to show off technical skills, a fairly shallow if entertaining enterprise, but its devices seem an appropriate response to my love of the visual world. I am still enamored with the old simple discovery of resemblance, the first idea of art after tools and shelter: It means that an object or image made of one material can share the outward appearance and therefore some of the “reality” of another. It is little wonder that art quickly became allied with magic.
Ron Isaacs
December, 2016
resume:
Born Cincinnati, Ohio, 1941.
B.A., major in art, Berea College, 1963.
M.F.A., painting, Indiana University, 1965; Woodrow Wilson Fellow, 1963.
Instructor, art, Sue Bennett College, London, Ky., 1965-69.
Taught painting and drawing, Eastern Kentucky University, 1969-2001;
currently Professor Emeritus, Art.
Makes trompe l’oeil constructions of Finnish birch plywood, painted with acrylics.
Selected one-person exhibitions:
City Gallery, Lexington, Ky., 2016.
Sherrie Gallerie, Columbus, Ohio, 2016, 2014.
Tory Folliard Gallery, Milwaukee, Wis., 2015, 2012.
Blue Spiral I, Asheville, NC, 2014.
Snyderman-Works Galleries, Philadelphia, Pa., 2014, 2011; Snyderman Gallery, 2007-08,
2003, 2001, 1999.
Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center, Portsmouth, Ohio, 2013; also 2000, 1979.
John Michael Kohler Arts Center, ARTspace, Sheboygan, Wis., 2012, 2004, 1997;
JMKAC, 1978.
Berea College, Berea, Ky., 2011 (career retrospective).
Heike Pickett Gallery, Versailles, Ky., 2009, 2001; Lexington, Ky., 1993.
Robert Kidd Gallery, Birmingham, Mich., 2008, 2002, 1999, 1996, 1992, 1990, 1985.
Ruschman Gallery, Indianapolis, Ind., 2006, 2003.
Weston Art Gallery, Aronoff Center for the Arts, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2003.
Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation Gallery, Louisville, Ky., 1999 (“Master Maker “
career retrospective).
Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio, 1998.
West Virginia University, Morgantown, W. Va., 1997.
Toni Birckhead Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1995, 1990.
Sazama Gallery, Chicago, Ill., 1992, 1989.
Headley-Whitney Museum, Lexington, Ky., 1991.
Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Ind., 1989.
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, Pa., 1986.
Monique Knowlton Gallery, New York City, N. Y., 1985, 1982, 1980, 1978, 1977.
Marianne Deson Galllery, Chicago, Ill., 1980; Deson-Zaks Gallery, 1974.
Selected group exhibitions:
“50 Years of Works,” Snyderman-Works Galleries, Philadelphia, Pa., 2015
“Is It Real: Contemporary Works in Clay, Paper, & Wood,” John F. Peto Studio Museum,
Island Heights, NJ, 2015
“The Sweet Spot,” 2012; “Rethinking the Figure,” 2009-2010, Robert Kidd Gallery,
Birmingham, Mich.
“The Art of Seduction,” Howard Community College, Columbia, Md., 2012.
“Magic Realism: Material Illusions,” The Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, Pa., 2010.
“Made to Deceive: The Art of Trompe l’Oeil,” Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft,
Louisville, Ky., 2008.
“Life Insight: The Human Experience,” Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville,
Ky., 2006.
“Edges of Grace: Provocative, Uncommon Craft,” The Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton,
Mass., 2006.
“Masters of Illusion,” (two-person show), Parkersburg Art Center, Parkersburg,
W. Va., 2004.
“Poetic Spirits,” Brookfield Craft Center, Brookfield, Conn., 2004.
Theme exhibitions, Wustum Museum of the Arts, Racine, Wis., 2005, 2003, 2002, 2001,
1999, 1998, 1992, 1990.
SOFA Chicago (Sculpture, Objects, and Functional Art), international exposition, annually
2004-2013; 2002, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1994; SOFA New York, annually 2004-2012;
2001, 1999.
“Figures: Alone and Together,” Craft Alliance, St. Louis, Mo., 2000.
“Wood Sculpture: Craft and Symbolism,” The Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, Ohio,
1995.
“Trompe l’Oeil: Masters of Illusion,” Spruill Gallery, Atlanta, Ga., 1995.
“Metaphors: The Image of Clothing in Contemporary Art,” Huntsville Museum of Art,
Huntsville, Ala., 1988-89.
“Medium As Illusion,” California State University, Fullerton, Cal., 1986.
“More Than Meets the Eye: The Art of Trompe l’Oeil,” Columbus Museum of Art,
Columbus, Ohio, 1985-86.
“Illusions,” Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, S.C., 1984.
“Material Illusion/Unlikely Material,” Taft Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1983.
“More Than Land Or Sky: Art from Appalachia,” National Museum of American Art,
Washington, D.C., 1981.
“The Animal Image,” Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1981.
“The Reality of Illusion,” Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colo., 1979.
“New York Now,” Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Ariz., 1979.
“Painting and Sculpture Today,” Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Ind., 1976.
SElected public and corporate COLLECTIONS:
Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wis.
John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wis.
Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center, Portsmouth, Oh.
Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, Ala.
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, Ky.
Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, Ky.
West Virginia University, Morgantown, W. Va.
University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky.
Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tenn.
Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C.
Berea College, Berea, Ky.
Murray State University, Murray, Ky.
American Express, New York, N..Y.
Prudential-Bache, New York, N.Y.
McDonalds Corporation, Oak Brook, Ill. and Bedminster, N..J.
AT&T, New York, N.Y.
Kidder-Peabody & Co., New York, N.Y.
Chase Manhattan Bank, New York, N.Y.
Scripps-Howard Newspapers, Cincinnati, Ohio.
W. R. Grace & Co., Greenwich, Conn.
Cincinnati Bell Information Systems, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation, Louisville, Ky.
University Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio.
The Menorah Park Foundation, Beachwood, Ohio.
Selected bibliography:
Burnside, Madelaine. “Ron Isaacs” (review). Artnews, Vol. 77, No. 9 (Nov., 1978),
pp. 196.
George, Phyllis. Kentucky Crafts: Handmade and Heartfelt. New York: Crown Publishers,
Inc., 1989, pp. 60-63.*
Heilenmann, Diane. “The Art of Illusion: Ron Isaacs’ Painted Wooden Objects Fool the
Eye” (feature article). The Courier-Journal (Louisville), Jan. 10, 1999, pp. 11, 14.*
Henry, Gerrit. “Ron Isaacs” (review). Artnews, Vol. 79, No. 9 (Nov., 1980), p. 212.*
Isaacs, Ron. “First Person” (feature). Surface Design Journal, Vol. 36, No. 3, Spring,
2012, pp. 52-53.*
Isaacs, Ron. Ron Isaacs: A Retrospective in 2 ½ D (catalog). Berea College Press,
2011. *
Isaacs, Ron. “True Lies” (article/essay). Nouvel Objet VI. S. Korea: Design House
Publishers, 2001, pp. 274-279.*
Klein, Ellen Lee. “Ron Isaacs” (review). Arts Magazine, Vol. 57, No. 3 (Nov., 1982),
pp. 48-49.*
Kloss, William. More Than Meets the Eye: The Art of Trompe l’Oeil (catalog). The
Columbus Museum of Art, 1985, pp. 32, 44, 125, 136.*
Koplos, Janet. “The Garment Form As Image” (article). Fiberarts, Vol. 10, No. 6
(Nov.-Dec., 1983), p. 69.*
Lowry, Patricia. “Haunting Imagery Emerges from Jigsaw Constructions” (review). The Pittsburgh Press, May 1, 1986, p. D3.*
Meilach, Dona Z. Woodworking: The New Wave. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc.
1981, pp. 161-163.*
Monroe, Michael W. The Animal Image (catalog). Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian
Institution Press, 1981, pp. 16-18.*
Nosanow, Barbara Shissler. More Than Land Or Sky: Art from Appalachia (catalog). National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1981, pp. 25, 76.*
Olejarz, Harold. “Ron Isaacs” (article). Arts Magazine, Vol. 53, No. 2 (Oct., 1978),
p. 10.*
Russell, John. “Critics Choices” (review). The New York Times, Mar. 4, 1977, p. C6.*
Sozanski, Edward. “Signaling Feeling with Deft Brushstrokes” (review). The Philadelphia
Inquirer, June 18, 1999, p. C1.
Stein, Judith. “The Artists’ New Clothes” (article). Portfolio, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Jan.-Feb.,
1983), pp. 62-67.*
Stollbach, Michael Hunt. “Ron Isaacs” (review). Arts Magazine, Vol. 55, No. 3 (Nov.,
1980), p. 23.*
Yates, Christopher A. “Narratives in Wood” (review). The Columbus Dispatch, Mar. 23,
2014, p F6.*
