Ron Fleming
The work of Ron Fleming shares the beauty of nature in theme and material, using the wood vessel as a means of exploring form, gesture, texture and color. Having established himself as a leading figure in the woodturning field for his turned and carved works featuring foliage, he has refused to limit his work based upon an established market and continues to grow as an artist.
"I seem to get new design ideas every day and I just go wondering off into them," he says. "I like to do work that continually challenges me.
As Fleming continues to expand his body of work, the constant is wood, which has proven the perfect medium for his explorations.
"The beauty and potential of wood has always intrigued me. It is fairly easily manipulated and its pattern and grain are always unique and different," he says.
"Working in wood is formidable," Fleming continues. "It is an warmth and aliveness that I can communicate with and through. While working, the wood guides me through each curve and depth. It tells me it's name and before I am finished, it has let me touch its soul. It is a terrifying pleasure to work in wood. From the mind to the hand to the form - it is a highly personal experience, because it is about the passion I can convey. My process takes a long time and requires a great deal of work, but it is ultimately very rewarding."
Fleming's career in the arts began early, as he received a great deal of support and encouragement from his family and teachers as a child. He began studying illustration and painting at eight years of age and completed his first commercial work at thirteen. "I did get an early start in my career," he says, looking back. "I always knew that art was what I wanted do to do with my life."
His interest in woodworking paralleled his growth in the arts, as he grew up watching and assisting his father and grandfather work in wood. "I have fond memories of working in my grandfather's shop and he always encouraged my desire to become an artist and understand creative and technical processes," he says.
A love of the natural world was instilled in the artist at a young age as well, as Fleming was raised in the country and spent a great deal of time hiking and camping as a child. "I loved nature and was always interested in the many facets of it. I was always observing and learning, thinking and searching for a way to express the thoughts and feelings I had about nature."
Ron Fleming's career began as a professional illustrator and designer, with agents in New York and San Francisco making it possible for him to remain in his home state of Oklahoma and work out of his home studio. "I could have done better if I had moved to New York or California, but I guess I am a small town person," he says. "I like the laid-back lifestyle."
Working as an illustrator, Fleming fulfilled his assignments working with an airbrush using gauche and acrylics. His work allowed him a wide-range of creative to technical approaches, always listening to the client -taking their thoughts and turning them into a visual image that others could appreciate. He enjoyed his work, but his childhood interest in woodworking remained with him and Fleming purchased his first lathe in 1974. He had no experience with the turning process and simply used it used it to hold blocks of wood as he carved them. "I had the idea that I wanted to create vessel forms with carved surfaces, but had no idea how to proceed," he recalls. While visiting a potter friend, he had the opportunity to look through a number of books on contemporary ceramics and was further inspired by the use of form, texture and imagery employed. In 1986, his potter friend came upon the book The Art of Turned Wood Bowls, which featured the seminal Jacobson Collection and gave it to him.
"The Jacobson book was the first time I saw woodturning as an art," Fleming recalls of seeing the works of leading artists including David Ellsworth, Mark Lindquist. "It gave me the insight that there were people doing this sort of work".
Having joined a local woodworking group, he learned that a couple of the members had taken woodturning classes. They presented a demonstration in the driveway of a member's home and Fleming learned the basics of turning wood on the lathe. His work in illustration led him to his voice working in wood. "I was painting an illustration of a rose and bud," he recalls. "As I was painting the bud it struck me that this form would make an interesting vase. My first feeble attempts were to flow the petals out and around the mouth of the vessel form. As time went on I started following the form down until I reached the bottom."
Soon after, Fleming was a member of the American Association of Woodturners and attending exhibitions organized by the Wood Turning Center, where he was able to see works by leading artists in person. "I was overwhelmed," Fleming recalls of the experience. "I could see that the community of woodturners was doing work that was out of this world."
He was soon exhibiting alongside leading figures in the field of woodturning and becoming known for his turned and carved works. "Woodturning is a natural way for me to combine my capabilities as an artist and a craftsman," he says. "Every form gives me a way to express my feelings about the things I see around me and to share these visions with others. I never try to copy another artist or nature, but rather try to stylize what I see into my own creative viewpoint. I am always thinking of composition and balance in the process and can spend several months carving or painting a single piece."
Fleming's previous career in illustration led him to merge wide-ranging influences, including carving approaches inspired by Old English, Greek and Roman works and painting. The chief inspiration however has always been the natural world, with most of his ideas inspired by seeing a particular plant, tree, bird or animal. These images are worked out in sketchbooks and transformed into stylized versions. "I keep a sketchbook or camera handy most of time and seem to have more ideas that I can ever produce," he says. "If I am ever not in the creative mood and I need to produce work for a show, all I have to do is refer to my sketchbook. When I am in the creative mood, I usually design a whole series of pieces and only produce a few of them. The ideas come rather quickly, as do working out the designs and details involved. It is the technical process of working with wood that takes up the time My work is very time consuming. From the thought process to the finished piece usually takes several weeks or even months."
Despite his experience in illustration, Fleming's early work was devoid of painterly expression, allowing the material to provide color and pattern. Yet, it was only a matter of time before he would combine his experience in painting with his work in wood.
"When I finally had control of the vessel form I thought why not paint on the form," he recalls.
Today, Fleming works in an old incinerator on the outskirts of Tulsa, Oklahoma, that he converted into his home and studio. The historical building is surrounded by wooded areas, numerous flower gardens and has a creek running through it. "I am practically surrounded by a nature preserve," he says. "It is peaceful here and I have many gardens and sources of inspiration all around me. It is amazing how I can just step outside and see an image for a new piece. My nearest neighbor is over a block away, so I am never bothered by outside distractions to keep me from my work. I am totally surrounded by nature and I feel that this has been one of the biggest influences on me."
The last decade has seen considerable growth in the artist's work. While he focused on the plant forms that could be found in his immediate environment for almost two decades, Fleming has begun to create works based on sea forms and cacti, forms that presented different sculptural and painterly approaches. Recent works have also included mythical figures, such as dragons – a throwback to childhood interests.
The works of Ron Fleming are informed by a love of nature, woodworking and art that have been with him since childhood. Recent works build upon myriad influences, a lifetime of experience and a willingness to continue to grow as an artist.
"Whether it be the falling leaves of autumn swirling into a frozen form, or a single flower bud unfolding in spring, each piece gives me an opportunity to make a statement about the never-ending rituals of nature's evolution," the artist says of his work.
"I seem to get new design ideas every day and I just go wondering off into them," he says. "I like to do work that continually challenges me.
As Fleming continues to expand his body of work, the constant is wood, which has proven the perfect medium for his explorations.
"The beauty and potential of wood has always intrigued me. It is fairly easily manipulated and its pattern and grain are always unique and different," he says.
"Working in wood is formidable," Fleming continues. "It is an warmth and aliveness that I can communicate with and through. While working, the wood guides me through each curve and depth. It tells me it's name and before I am finished, it has let me touch its soul. It is a terrifying pleasure to work in wood. From the mind to the hand to the form - it is a highly personal experience, because it is about the passion I can convey. My process takes a long time and requires a great deal of work, but it is ultimately very rewarding."
Fleming's career in the arts began early, as he received a great deal of support and encouragement from his family and teachers as a child. He began studying illustration and painting at eight years of age and completed his first commercial work at thirteen. "I did get an early start in my career," he says, looking back. "I always knew that art was what I wanted do to do with my life."
His interest in woodworking paralleled his growth in the arts, as he grew up watching and assisting his father and grandfather work in wood. "I have fond memories of working in my grandfather's shop and he always encouraged my desire to become an artist and understand creative and technical processes," he says.
A love of the natural world was instilled in the artist at a young age as well, as Fleming was raised in the country and spent a great deal of time hiking and camping as a child. "I loved nature and was always interested in the many facets of it. I was always observing and learning, thinking and searching for a way to express the thoughts and feelings I had about nature."
Ron Fleming's career began as a professional illustrator and designer, with agents in New York and San Francisco making it possible for him to remain in his home state of Oklahoma and work out of his home studio. "I could have done better if I had moved to New York or California, but I guess I am a small town person," he says. "I like the laid-back lifestyle."
Working as an illustrator, Fleming fulfilled his assignments working with an airbrush using gauche and acrylics. His work allowed him a wide-range of creative to technical approaches, always listening to the client -taking their thoughts and turning them into a visual image that others could appreciate. He enjoyed his work, but his childhood interest in woodworking remained with him and Fleming purchased his first lathe in 1974. He had no experience with the turning process and simply used it used it to hold blocks of wood as he carved them. "I had the idea that I wanted to create vessel forms with carved surfaces, but had no idea how to proceed," he recalls. While visiting a potter friend, he had the opportunity to look through a number of books on contemporary ceramics and was further inspired by the use of form, texture and imagery employed. In 1986, his potter friend came upon the book The Art of Turned Wood Bowls, which featured the seminal Jacobson Collection and gave it to him.
"The Jacobson book was the first time I saw woodturning as an art," Fleming recalls of seeing the works of leading artists including David Ellsworth, Mark Lindquist. "It gave me the insight that there were people doing this sort of work".
Having joined a local woodworking group, he learned that a couple of the members had taken woodturning classes. They presented a demonstration in the driveway of a member's home and Fleming learned the basics of turning wood on the lathe. His work in illustration led him to his voice working in wood. "I was painting an illustration of a rose and bud," he recalls. "As I was painting the bud it struck me that this form would make an interesting vase. My first feeble attempts were to flow the petals out and around the mouth of the vessel form. As time went on I started following the form down until I reached the bottom."
Soon after, Fleming was a member of the American Association of Woodturners and attending exhibitions organized by the Wood Turning Center, where he was able to see works by leading artists in person. "I was overwhelmed," Fleming recalls of the experience. "I could see that the community of woodturners was doing work that was out of this world."
He was soon exhibiting alongside leading figures in the field of woodturning and becoming known for his turned and carved works. "Woodturning is a natural way for me to combine my capabilities as an artist and a craftsman," he says. "Every form gives me a way to express my feelings about the things I see around me and to share these visions with others. I never try to copy another artist or nature, but rather try to stylize what I see into my own creative viewpoint. I am always thinking of composition and balance in the process and can spend several months carving or painting a single piece."
Fleming's previous career in illustration led him to merge wide-ranging influences, including carving approaches inspired by Old English, Greek and Roman works and painting. The chief inspiration however has always been the natural world, with most of his ideas inspired by seeing a particular plant, tree, bird or animal. These images are worked out in sketchbooks and transformed into stylized versions. "I keep a sketchbook or camera handy most of time and seem to have more ideas that I can ever produce," he says. "If I am ever not in the creative mood and I need to produce work for a show, all I have to do is refer to my sketchbook. When I am in the creative mood, I usually design a whole series of pieces and only produce a few of them. The ideas come rather quickly, as do working out the designs and details involved. It is the technical process of working with wood that takes up the time My work is very time consuming. From the thought process to the finished piece usually takes several weeks or even months."
Despite his experience in illustration, Fleming's early work was devoid of painterly expression, allowing the material to provide color and pattern. Yet, it was only a matter of time before he would combine his experience in painting with his work in wood.
"When I finally had control of the vessel form I thought why not paint on the form," he recalls.
Today, Fleming works in an old incinerator on the outskirts of Tulsa, Oklahoma, that he converted into his home and studio. The historical building is surrounded by wooded areas, numerous flower gardens and has a creek running through it. "I am practically surrounded by a nature preserve," he says. "It is peaceful here and I have many gardens and sources of inspiration all around me. It is amazing how I can just step outside and see an image for a new piece. My nearest neighbor is over a block away, so I am never bothered by outside distractions to keep me from my work. I am totally surrounded by nature and I feel that this has been one of the biggest influences on me."
The last decade has seen considerable growth in the artist's work. While he focused on the plant forms that could be found in his immediate environment for almost two decades, Fleming has begun to create works based on sea forms and cacti, forms that presented different sculptural and painterly approaches. Recent works have also included mythical figures, such as dragons – a throwback to childhood interests.
The works of Ron Fleming are informed by a love of nature, woodworking and art that have been with him since childhood. Recent works build upon myriad influences, a lifetime of experience and a willingness to continue to grow as an artist.
"Whether it be the falling leaves of autumn swirling into a frozen form, or a single flower bud unfolding in spring, each piece gives me an opportunity to make a statement about the never-ending rituals of nature's evolution," the artist says of his work.