Ron Burns Biography

Ron is an Ohio native whose professional life started in Los Angeles where he and his wife Buff founded the graphic design company, Ron Burns Design. There his work won over high-profile clients including Dick Clark Productions, Xerox, and Blue Shield.

But this brand of success demanded a nonstop, 25 hour-a-day approach to living and working that grew less and less fulfilling. Ron occasionally used painting as a pastime to deal with the intense pressures of commercial work. The 1987 Whittier earthquake rattled more than their design studio off its foundation, it forced Ron and Buff to completely reprioritize their lives.

Looking to escape the soulless-ness of business in L.A., they moved to Sedona, Arizona. In this quieter, more spiritual setting Ron began to take painting seriously. He explored various styles and subject matter until finally he started painting vibrant portraits of their own dogs. The color choices Ron has become famous for today were present from the beginning.

“There’s nothing subtle or muted about a pet’s love, especially… especially… a dog’s,” says Ron. “It’s full-strength, heart-felt and wild-as-the-wind. So the green-apple colors, the fire-truck reds, the swimming-pool blues really chose themselves. Brilliant, saturated colors are the only ways I can begin to capture what each of us experiences with the dogs and cats that nurture us.”

Ron begins each portrait with the eyes. “Their eyes hold nothing back, whether it’s love or fear, heartbreak or admiration. Every portrait begins with the eyes… they have to… because from there all the life and personality radiates outward,” he says.

After Ron’s initial series of paintings of his own “kids” he started visiting animal shelters and taking photos of other dogs and cats to use as models. After selling portraits of these images, he returned a percentage of the proceeds back to support the shelters. This approach later led to being named artist-in-residence with the Humane Society of the United States.

New York Daily News writes that Ron’s style captures the “quiet heroics” of the life of dogs. It’s a style that has won over collectors, interior designers, auction bidders, and book buyers. He has been featured nationally on television and in print. Demand for Ron’s original work, limited editions and book continue to flourish on the strength of gallery sales, word of mouth among collectors, and media praise.