A two bedroomed state house in Strathmore is an unlikely repository for a substantial collection of art works – mainly acrylic paintings. But there they are, not only arrayed on the walls but many are stacked up to three deep on the furniture.
The artist is 91-year-old Ron Jobson, a retired prison officer who worked mostly at Mt Crawford where conditions were fairly rough, and the pay was less than substantial. Ron, a Geordie, was used to the rough stuff having lived through the air raids on Newcastle on Tyne during WW2. He and his wife moved to Australia in the early 1960s but decided that New Zealand offered them a better future.
Ron had a natural talent for drawing, starting off at primary school with a pencil and then moving to Indian ink. He remembers that many of his drawings were tacked up around the walls of the classroom, much to the chagrin of the top scholar who could not draw.
He took up painting again as a hobby in the 1970s when his wife encouraged him by buying some oils and canvas, and Ron started walking around his local area looking for scenes and subjects to commit to canvas. He occasionally became so engrossed that he would paint until he finished; but like most artists, Ron is sometimes not completely satisfied with the “finished” work.
He soon switched to acrylics on canvas, or hardboard, or anything useful that he could paint on. He likes using acrylics as they dry faster which means he can correct the bits he is not satisfied with.
Ron’s range of subjects is extensive – from landscapes, townscapes, ships, still life and portraits, painted from the original and occasionally from memory, to copies of photographs or film posters – you name it. But he also has a flair for copying the paintings of old masters with a particular liking for the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer, with some extras in the Vermeer style but conjured up from his own imagination.
What started out as a hobby became more full-on when he retired in 1995 and moved to the modest state house in Strathmore. Painting also helped pass the time after his wife died about twelve years ago.
He has lost count of the number of paintings and now sells the paintings at very reasonable prices to keep him in funds for more art supplies.
Age Concern Wellington Region is very pleased to offer you a unique opportunity to own one of Ron’s amazing that we will be selling 13 of Ron’s paintings on his behalf, with 75% of the proceeds going to Age Concern to help fund our work. Ron retains 25%, which he says will fund even more art supplies! Click here to see the paintings and find out more…