Ron Saunders. Love the Cold and Time in Atlanta, 2017

During his residency Saunders painted for the exhibition as part of RaumArs 20th anniversary events, organized a series of engagements at Cafe Sali and lead a Trump Poster Workshop at the Freinet School of Rauma.

The exhibition Love the Cold and Works on Paper represent both Ron’s current art practice and future endeavors. Love the Cold is an extension of Ron’s work both in Atlanta and New York where paintings are made over a period of time using frozen pigment. This process can be unpredictable and has a nature of its own. Visitors can see the progress during the month of April. Works on Paper represent new experimental methods and materials for Ron.

Works on Paper is the result of new experimental methods and materials for Saunders. For this series, he purposefully departs from his standard studio practice as a painter by working on paper and incorporating new drawing media and techniques. In doing so, he pushes the boundaries of his oeuvre and achieves surprising results.

Both projects embrace experimentation and a degree of chaos into the process. They also give a sense of the challenges that the artist faces while trying new and uncomfortable things and when this pursuit should be abandoned for the familiar. Ultimately, these works beg the question if they should be viewed as merely experiments in time and processes to be experienced, final objects, or if we should be satisfied with it existing somewhere in between.

Ron Saunders has also created three events where he can engage with the community to reflect on current social norms and values. They are all united with the goal of challenging habits and connecting with new communities.

Time in Atlanta: During the month of April, Ron will be periodically posted at Café Sali located in old town Rauma with the aim to talk to you. Challenging both assumptions about Finnish and American social norms, Ron will invite Café Sali customers to join him for a coffee. Visitors can find Ron sitting with a sign that reads: “I am an American. I talk to strangers and smile too much”. Café Sali, known for its international clocks, has had its New York time replaced with Atlanta Georgia’s, indicating Ron’s presence in Rauma.

Trump Poster Workshop and Rally: Most will recognize that we are in a new day and age when it comes to geo-politics. During Ron’s short stay in Rauma, many have expressed a desire to talk about current political issues and concerns in relation to Trump. In response, Ron talked about the issue at the cafe and created posters with 5th and 6th grade students at the Freinet School of Rauma.

Artist Restraints. Currently Ron is seeking Finnish artists interested in challenging each other through limitations to their studio practice. Organized as a type of game, individual artists and Ron will supply each other with specifications to amounts of media, specific sizes, subject matters, or new mark-making methods to push their personal practices. Ultimately, each artist will have an opportunity to experiment and create new innovative work.

Ron Saunders is currently a foundations professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, GA. He obtained his MFA in Fine Art from Ohio University in 2002. Although trained as a painter, he classifies himself as a multi-disciplinary artist who works in both traditional and experimental media. His work ranges from installation, painting, and drawing to building machines that make paintings. Ultimately, he enjoys the tension and play found in the theoretical aspects of contemporary art, the creation and realization of an object, and the contemplation and challenge that the natural environment gives him. For the residency Saunders has a Finlandia Foundation Grant.