Heritage, 2011, Volume 1 Page: 26
47 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Artist Preserves Texas History With a Paintbrush
Though he does not use a trowel like an archeologist or a
tape recorder like an author, Ronald Thomason is a histori-
cal preservationist nonetheless.
Since he was 10 years old, Thomason knew that he
wanted to be an artist. "I was fortunate as a youngster to
have a teacher who recognized my talent and encouraged
my parents to give me art lessons." He studied formally in
Fort Worth and used his service time in Japan to enroll at
the University of Nagasaki where he honed his skill with
watercolor and egg tempera. Later, after study at the Penn-
sylvania Academy of Fine Arts and individual instruction
with painter John McCoy, a member of the Wyeth family,
Thomason developed his own artistic style-influenced
by these important years of study.
Yearning for his native Texas, Thomason returned to ap-
ply this eastern training to his own artwork. Undertaking a
one-man study of the state, he turned to the windmills, cow-
boys, and old buildings of the fading Lone Star frontier for
his subject matter. The Texas Legislature named him Artist
of the Year in 1974, partly because had had done so much to
record and celebrate the state.
Today, Ronald Thomason continues to paint the sights
and sounds of Texas from his Artist Eye Studio in Harper.
His artwork has been in galleries and museums around the
world and hangs in many public and private collections.
PRESERVING THE PAST
FOR THE FUTURE
0;e. I I
-,>8CONSERVING OUR
ARCHEOLOGICAL HERITAGE
PREWITTAND ASSOCIATES, INC.
Cultural Resources Services
2105 Donley Avenue, Suite 400 * Austin, Texas 78758-4513
Tel: (512) 459-3349 Fax: (512) 459-3851
E-mail: staff@paiarch.com
26 TEXASHERITAGE I Volume 1 2011r- -r~~ ~ - " ~Prs Bll-tar- ~ ~ __~~~ur~ j - il'
m h wc~--I I~;r +rnMissi's Mill, above, 2000. This antique eclipse windmill was the last
to provide water for the livestock at the Friar-Thomas Ranches. The
Lynch Line, middle, 2006. This building in Albany has been restored
for use as a bookstore and office. A White Christmas, below, 1977.
A snow painting of the Renfro-Clark home in Burleson, built by the
town's founder. Courtesy of Ronald Thomason. Originals are in color.Excavations at San Felipe Spring,
Val Verde County. 1998'iC
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, 2011, Volume 1, periodical, 2011; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth254220/m1/26/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.