| Ron Kleemann | ||
| Birth Date: July 24, 1934 |
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| Death Date: May 30, 2014 Artist Gallery |
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| Born on July 24, 1937 in Bay City, Mich., he was the son of Walter and Corinne (Falk) Kleemann. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1961 with a BFA from the School of Architecture and Design, where he received his training in sculpture and painting.
Just out of college, he moved to New York City to work and to live as an artist. In 1972, he became a resident of Columbia County, living in Stockport for 35 years and then moving to Valatie in 2007. Once in New York City, his original medium was sculpture, but he soon became more interested in painting and his style of Photo-Realism. Kleeman initially created a surrealistic Photo-Realism with several images of vehicles combined with close-ups of human anatomy in a kind of painted collage. He later moved to paintings of all kinds of racing boats, motorcycles, cars and airplanes -- and their insignia.
He created a conceptual racing team for the Indianapolis 500, which led to his being named official artist of the event. Ron loved painting, travel, animals, and people. Thanks to his art, he was able to travel throughout the United States and Europe, always taking pictures and looking for his next subject to paint. He painted race cars, fire engines, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons, airplanes, and many other subjects that caught his eye. Most of his paintings were sharply realistic, often featuring reflections. He always said he loved shiny objects.
In the 1990's, when the painting business was slow, Ron spent 10 years as a counselor for COARC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that provides programs and services to people with developmental disabilities in Columbia County. He was an avid ballroom dancer, and he and his wife could often be seen at local dances and balls in the area. His humor and stories were legendary among all who knew him.
Ronald Allen Kleemann died in 2014 of complications from dementia.
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