For my birthday, my sister and her boyfriend bought me 3 original artworks by Cincinnati artist Ron English. As I understand, English considers himself an outsider artist as he has little to no formal training but a strong desire to create. Like many outsider artists he makes his work out of humble materials- cardboard, colored pencils and chalk pastels- and he sells them on the streets in downtown Cincinnati. As the resident art expert in the family, I am often asked "is that really art?" and in the case of Ron English I give a resounding YES.
I confess I don't know much about English or his art. Despite my lack of knowledge, I find that his work speaks loudly and perhaps knowing a great deal of his personal history or aesthetic philosophy is unnecessary to its appreciation.
From what I have gleaned from photos of his work, stories from my sister and from a few google-able articles (mainly t
his and
this), it seems his work is generally figurative in nature with an emphasis on solid color and bold line. What looks like one single black continuous line winds around the cardboard surface to create a roughly circular face shape with definite eyes and less obvious nose and mouth. The color is arbitrary- not connected to reality- and seems to be applied according to the taste of the artist. He uses a limited palette and often creates an energetic pattern by repeating colors throughout the work. The work on the right (my personal favorite of the three) has little spots of red scattered throughout the portrait which help lead your eye around the picture. While the red is scattered throughout the pale blue serves as a centering force allowing your eye to settle and focus on the center portion of the face.
In this square portrait you will notice English has done the same trick. Red leads your eye around the drawing's surface while blue centers your focus to the middle. In these two works the eyes are particularly noticeable and I like how in this one, the eyes are the most detailed part of the face- roughly circular shapes divided into many smaller units. To me, it gives them a glittering quality and I think how eyes in art history are frequently understood as windows to the soul. You might also notice a difference in shape and color between these two works. The work above is more a vertically oriented rectangle while this one (and the following one) are both square in shape. Additionally, the one above is made with chalk making it more vibrant where the other two are drawn with colored pencil and are more muted. I like the vibrancy of the pastels but I like the precision of the colored pencils. Both have a great sense of energy and life.
Here is the final English drawing. What do you notice about this work? How does it compare or contrast to the other two? Which is your favorite? What do you like/not like about his work?
Wherever you are reading from (Cincinnati or elsewhere), do your city and yourself a favor and support local artists!
