Ron Colgrove is a native of Buffalo, NY and a graduate of the Albright Art School, which later was affiliated with the State University of New York at Buffalo, NY. After graduating from The Albright Art School, he was predominantly interested in pen-and-ink drawings using a crow quill flexible dip pen until someone asked him if he was color blind. About that time and because of that remark, he began working with color using acrylic paint. Somewhere along the way, he started silk screening his pen-and-ink drawings and then hand water colored them.
After a 40-year career as Chief Artist for a research and development company--those were the years before the magic of computers when everything was hand drawn; Ron retired in Central Florida and began devoting all of his time to pen-and-ink drawings as well as oil or acrylics paintings. His pen-and-ink European castle series has sold in the hundreds. He continues to work mostly with oil, but still creates commissions of pen-and-ink drawings several times a year.
He has exhibited his fine art at many one-man shows throughout the United States including Western New York and Central Florida, winning national and regional awards for his graphic designs, pen-and-ink drawings, and oil and acrylic paintings. For example, he was awarded first place in the Greenwich Village Show in New York. His paintings hang in private collections throughout the United States, Canada, Spain, and France.
Ron compiled and published "Buffalo's Architectural Heritage", a book containing pen-and-ink drawings of historic Buffalo, New York, buildings. This compilation is used in the architectural classes at the State University of New York at Buffalo and can be borrowed from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System. His book has sold over 2,000 copies throughout Western New York.
The October 1997 issue of "The Artist's1" magazine and the July 2004 issue of "Drawing Board2" magazine have published articles about his pen-and-ink technique using a crow quill flexible dip pen. Ron is also an inventor of patented children's toys and games. Several of these educational games were sold through the DLM educational catalogs used in schools.
Ron enjoys playing chess, tennis and working out at the YMCA along with his wife, Audrey. Over the years, their various grandchildren have given him many opportunities to paint them.
