Ron Rutherford

Ron Rutherford is a visual and graphic artist, arts instructor and musician born in Detroit, MI in 1959. A 1978 graduate of Cass Technical High School in Detroit, and Parsons School of Design in New York City in 1982, has over 40 years of experience within the arts. As a visual artist, he's passionate about drawing and draughtsmanship in his works. Utilizing pencil, pen & ink and watercolors, he loves imaging the human body combined with healing symbols from different ancient cultures, scarification, medicinal plants, spiritual and African-American historical symbols and themes. As a musician, he was taught Caribbean guitar styles by world renown Reggae guitarist Earl Chinna Smith. He has backed many major Jamaican singers throughout the years and now writes and performs his own compositions. “Symbols play a large role in how I conceive my ideas, whether is visual or musical, as well as tribal scarification. My goal is when viewers explore my drawings, paintings or listen to my musical compositions, my use of visual and musical symbolism will deepen their experience and connect them with ancestors of the past.”