RON GRAUER’S BIOGRAPHY

Ron Grauer’s life should have started with a pencil in his hand because drawing has always held an important spot in his heart. During 1928-29 his father took him to the airport often and he gleefully watched beautiful planes passing right in front of the windshield of their car. One in particular was a bright red biplane with spirals painted on the wheels which were still revolving as they passed by. The thrill of those early times inspired him to study all the airplane pictures he could lay his hands on. Sheer magic!

Such vivid memories struck a chord in his fertile imagination. After the family moved from St Joseph, Missouri, where he was born in 1927, to Topeka, Kansas, Ron began drawing: airplanes and birds…on all the walls in his bedroom and on the inside cover of every book in the house! Airplanes and drawing were certainly his first loves.

Always commended highly in school for his artistic talent, he tells of his third grade teacher who taught the class to draw robins. Ron’s own drawing of a robin, drawn with colored chalk, was far better than the teacher’s and he says she left her version on the black board for weeks to his chagrin. His friends then began to call him ‘Ronnie, the bird drawer’. Throughout high school only his art classes were of any real interest.

Ron’s fascination with and love of flying has followed him throughout his life. In 1938, at the age of 11, Ron received his student’s pilot license; in 1944 he was given his private pilot license; in 1960 he was granted a commercial pilot’s license. In 1983 he flew in the International Aerobatics Competition in Delano California, an experience he remembers with great pleasure to this day.

Near the end of WWII Ron enlisted in the USNR and spent a good part of a year on Guam at an anti-aircraft training base – not because he wanted to shoot down airplanes but because he knew every plane in the air by sight. This was very exciting period for an 18 year old except the guns cost him some of his hearing. During his time on Guam he became a favorite with his superior officers for painting “pretty girls” on the doors of their plywood lockers. This did not keep him from a lot of scullery duty, though, because of his low rank and youth. Ironically, some of the Japanese prisoners guarded on the island were fascinated with his water colors of American planes shooting down Japanese Zeros… “I never really understood that!” he says.

The first year after his discharge from service he went to college on the GI Bill majoring in art. Not satisfied with the college art classes, he enrolled in the School of Art on Sarasota, Florida. After graduating he returned to Topeka, Kansas and worked as an art director and illustrator at an ad agency. When the Korean war began he was “called back up” and was placed in a position with the Navy in Training Aids where his artistic skills could be effectively employed. Ron served two years as a Draftsman Illustrator.

Then, released from the Navy in 1952, he moved to Pasadena California joined Advertising Illustrators, an agency where he made a very nice living as an illustrator and eventually, with a partner, became its owner. The business grew rapidly in LA until in 1970, with a lot of money and a bleeding ulcer, Ron decided to fold up the successful studio, sell the big house on the hill in Pasadena and move to Carmel. He gave all the employees and clients a six months notice of his departure, packed up his possessions and took off for Carmel. Once ensconced in Carmel Valley he unpacked a brand new easel and started painting.

His first gallery in Carmel was Gallery Americana then, after meeting Hans Zantman, he moved his work to Zantman Gallery. After a couple of years Ron missed not having the key to the front door and opened The Ron Grauer Gallery which he owned and operated for seven years. A lot of fun, but sensing a recession coming on at the time he closed his gallery and formed the first 4A ad agency in Monterey with a partner and operated a very successful and well respected ad agency with a majority of the biggest clients in the area: Doubletree Hotel, Hyatt Hotel, Monterey Jazz Festival, Lodge at Pebble Beach, Monterey County Bank to name a few.

As CEO of the corporation he and his partner prospered, won many awards and enjoyed what they were doing, but deep inside Ron missed the real art world he’d known in Carmel. In 1984, after much consideration, he decided to sell his half of the agency to his partner and resume painting.

In 1996, “leukemia grounded me,” he says…”no more playing in the air, either!” The sound of a passing plane still drags him outside to look. “Although aviation has always played a big part in my life, painting and drawing is my only reason for being around now… and that’s really thanks to those childhood airplane drawings way back then …so it was kind of a large circle back to the beginning. My work has become more fun and more personal and honest.”

Pigeon Point, Threatening Storm

By Ron Grauer (Oil on Canvas) 11 x 14 Inches

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum pulvinar risus at nisl consectetur, vel dapibus lacus euismod. In vitae orci non urna venenatis posuere. Maecenas et fermentum turpis. Suspendisse in nunc sem. Morbi dapibus sem nec mi accumsan, et tincidunt nisl pellentesque. Suspendisse sed nulla a est cursus consequat. Curabitur elementum orci ut ligula dignissim, in egestas purus vestibulum. Nam ac tempor metus. Fusce id tempus libero. Donec nec ipsum ornare, mattis est at, placerat est. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nam elit lorem, egestas quis volutpat a, tincidunt id metus. Maecenas at ante risus. Quisque euismod turpis erat, non sodales tellus venenatis id. Aliquam iaculis nibh justo, ut eleifend eros pulvinar interdum. In hac habitasse platea dictumst.

Nam varius iaculis erat, sed vestibulum enim dictum blandit. Donec ac orci diam. Morbi posuere, dui placerat fringilla ultrices, nisl lectus convallis eros, quis faucibus augue mi at odio. Quisque aliquam maximus facilisis. Donec vel fermentum metus. Duis hendrerit euismod arcu eget tincidunt. Proin malesuada nulla in risus congue accumsan. Cras sed congue ex, a bibendum turpis. Nulla viverra arcu pretium odio lobortis tincidunt. Suspendisse potenti.

Interested in this piece? Please click the button below to email us about this piece.

Ron Grauer

RON GRAUER’S BIOGRAPHY

Pigeon Point, Threatening Storm

Interceptor at Rest, study

Westcliff, Santa Cruz

Elkhorn Slough, Dawn Light

Prospector, West of Phoenix

Arles, France

Quail Hollow, Mom & Daughter

White Horse, Three Black Birds

Balinese Legong Dancer

Dawn of yet Another Century

The Pasture – or a 5:30 Stroll

Asilomar Surf

Springtime 101

Wahini Ke Loa Wai

Follies Bergeres, Moulin Rouge

Wahini Kolohe Wailele Haena

Click the Artist you want to view