Ramona Stites

Biography

Ramona spent much of her early art career studying at both university and independent studies level. In 1989 she received her degree in Art Education at Northern Arizona University, graduating summa cum laude, also receiving an award for her outstanding achievements in art and design. She then went on to teach in an after-school arts program and later taught oil painting at the Sedona Arts Center.

The bulk of Ramona's work consists of contemporary Southwest landscape oil paintings, known for their sense of serenity and distinctive color. This work has been sold through galleries in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas and has been seen and reviewed in publications, such as Art Life and national publications such as Art Talk. Ramona has had numerous one-woman exhibits and has been in multiple group exhibits, to include a public show at Sky Harbor Airport. She has been awarded in various juried shows, not to mention a national show where her work received the Juror's Award.

The scenery of Arizona and New Mexico has served as an inspiration for most of Ramona's landscape paintings. Her paintings are an elegant statement revealing the jewel like color of the desert as seen through her eyes. Her brushwork is painterly showing the influences of Impressionism. Her work speaks of places yet untouched by the developer's hand and held dearly in the heart.

Ramona has been painting landscapes since the 1980's. She added abstract images to her portfolio in the late 1990's. Those pieces are colorful, bold designs painted in both oils and acrylics. Ramona Stites currently resides in Northern Arizona.

Artist Statement

Art means different things to different people. My creative art experience is one that is aesthetic in nature, relies heavily upon color and texture, and creates a mood in the viewer. The painting I have done since the eighty's and through the ninety's have been inspired from looking at the landscapes of Arizona and New Mexico. I have lived in Arizona since 1974, having moved here from my home state of Iowa. The desert's great vastness and unique color traits have been very inspirational to my art.

The majority of my art is contempory Southwest landscape done in oil media. In the mid nineties I also began to do some experimental work with acrylics. Since that time I have continued to paint landscape, but also broadened my work to include abstract pieces as well.

My abstract works are a celebration of color. Those works are a result of my inner observations, rather than external stimuli. I see those pieces as describing states of being, of describing an inner landscapes of emotions and events. I am very exicted about exploring my creativity through the painting media, whether it be in acrylic, oil, mixed media or pastel. I see myself continuing to create a variety of work on canvas and paper throughout the years. Ramona