Ramon Kelley

Master Signature Member and Juror of Awards

Mr. Kelley grew in Cheyenne, Wyoming and developed a strong interest in art. After serving in the US Navy, he won a scholarship to the Colorado Institute of Art, and by the early 60's had settled permanently in Denver. Needing to support his wife and young son, he worked as an illustrator and graphic designer, making portrait drawings in the evenings. Jane Hiatt, owner of the Village Gallery in Taos, New Mexico, suggested Ramon move into color and paint. His career in fine art was off and running.

His first watercolor was accepted into the American Watercolor Society's annual exhibition, where it won the Helen Gapen Oehler Award. At the same time, Ramon adopted pastel and became one of the first members of the Pastel Society of America. He also took up oils and acrylics, and tried his hand at many other media, including sculpture.

His work has been exhibited in one-man and group shows from Tucson to Taiwan, and his memberships in the Allied Artists of America, the Pastel Society of America, the National Academy of Western Art, Knickerbocker Artists, Oil Painters of America and the American Watercolor Society reflect the high caliber of his paintings. In 1986, he was elected to the Pastel Hall of Fame by the Pastel Society of America. His sensitive character studies are included in the collections of the Seattle Frye Museum, the Santa Fe Museum of Fine Art, the Denver Public Library, the Spokane Museum of Native American Cultures and the Academy at West Point, among numerous other public and private collections.

In addition to painting, Ramon is a world-class teacher. His work has been featured in 15 art magazines and in two books. Ramon's new book, The 5 Essentials in Every Powerful Painting, published by International Artist Publishing, is destined to become a world bestseller.