Ronald Reeves
Providence, RI
“I paint beautiful paintings in order to escape the cruel and unforgiving harsh world I grew up and live in. Through my art, I share my hopes of a better world full of beauty.”
Ronald (Ron) Reeves (he/him/his) is a landscape painter who has used his creativity and religious faith to overcome many obstacles, retain hope, and give back to the community. He describes that he loves making art because it is enjoyable and it helps him feel good about himself. “Art gives me a purpose in life, I am able to create beautiful paintings and landscapes that people can enjoy.”
Ron was born in Boston, Massachusetts and currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island where he attends art groups at McAuley House, a comprehensive service provider for people who experience homelessness. He describes that up until 2010, he was supporting a family and a full-time job until an unexpected episode of chronic mental illness returned and he ended up needing longer-term psychiatric treatment. This period in his life caused tremendous loss for him including his job, his family, and his home. Ron cites services for the unhoused, especially McAuley House, as the support which enabled him to “stay alive and hopeful”.
In addition to his own art practice, Ron enjoys teaching art classes and giving back to the unhoused community by passing out food and clothing on Fridays. He volunteers as an art teacher at the Providence VA Hospital, the DaVinec Center, and shares his skills with students and friends by gathering with them in various places such as churches, Dunkin Donuts, or Wendy’s. He feels that teaching art classes is his most important life accomplishment: “When I teach a class of students who have never painted before and see their faces after creating a painting, I know that I was able to make their lives a little better and have done something good.”
In regards to the unique signature, Ron writes: “My painter’s name is DonRonaldo and I sign my paintings ISDONRON. Why? There are 10,000,000 Ronalds in the USA and 10,000 DonRonaldo’s but there is only one ISDONRON. So who IS DON RON? -- DONRON is DonRonaldo who is Ronald Reeves who ISDONRON.”