Since 1994 Ron and Kay have spent each summer as artists-in-residence at a historic resort in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Surrounded by the 73,000 acres of pristine landscape and abundant wildlife of Custer State Park, they seldom struggle to find subjects for their paintings. They spend many weeks each year in South Dakota and in other areas across North America doing field research, sketching, photographing and video-taping wildlife and their habitats. As you can see from the paintings on this site, their travels extend from the barrier islands of the east coast to the rugged mountains of the northwest. To learn more about Ron and Kay, their biographical abstracts are listed below.

RON HOLYFIELD
Ron Holyfield’s paintings exhibit a sense of presence that could be created only through a deep love of subject as well as a mastery of technical skills. His birds and animals look out from foliage that is almost tangible. In each work you expect the wildlife to have moved if you glance away. His power of design influences the whole context and mood of his work bringing forth colors, forms, and delicate subtleties to create exceptional works of art. Ron has painted in most mediums but for the past 35 years has worked only in acrylics, developing many techniques suited to his style of painting.

Ron and his wife, noted artist Kay Williams, presently live in the beautiful Tennessee River Valley in southeastern Tennessee, near the Smokey Mountains. When they are not working in their studio, or at an exhibit, Ron and Kay can often be found gathering reference material for future paintings. They spend many weeks each year doing field research, sketching, photographing and video taping, wildlife and habitat. As you can see from the paintings produced, their travels extend from the barrier islands along the east coast to the rugged mountains of the northwest. Additionally, since 1994, Ron and Kay have spent about three months each summer in the Black Hills of South Dakota where they live with about 1500 Buffalo (Bison). Each year a good number of Ron’s paintings reflect his impressions of the prairie, the Black Hills and the wildlife of that area.

Ron’s exhibits of recent years include most of the important nature and wildlife art shows around the country and his work has been honored by many BEST OF SHOW and ARTIST OF THE YEAR awards.

Some of Ron’s special honors include:

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KAY WILLIAMS
Kay might never have become such a popular artist if not for an evening art class at a Community College near Portland, Oregon, in 1967. Her instructor identified her natural artistic talent and requested that she teach oil painting classes the following year. His failing health inspired him to lay the foundation with the college administrators for Kay to completely take over his classes. She accepted that offer with a passion that continued for 12 highly successful years for her and her students.

She paints only with oils and employs some of the techniques used by the old masters. Her major paintings take several weeks to complete because she paints in thin layers and each layer must dry before starting on the next layer. Glazes are used throughout the painting process to give the image depth and brilliance.

Kay and her husband, noted artist Ron Holyfield, presently live in the beautiful Tennessee River Valley in southeastern Tennessee, not far from the Great Smokey Mountains. To obtain reference material for their paintings they spend countless hours doing field research, sketching, photographing and video taping the behavior of animals and their habitat. Together they have observed more wildlife behavior than many research biologists. Since 1994 they have spent about 3 months each summer in the Black Hills of South Dakota where they are artists-in-residence at a resort and live with about 1500 buffalo (Bison). A number of Kay’s paintings are her impressions of the prairie, hills, and the wildlife of that part of the country. Her intimate knowledge of the Pacific Northwest is also readily apparent in her landscape and wildlife paintings of that region.

Although she leaves her paintings open to interpretation, her skillful hand guides your visit through each image where you are mesmerized by her realistic habitat depictions, feel the rough bark of the lodgepole pine, smell its resin, and perhaps even see your own footprints in the frosted grass. Most important, the relationship she creates between wildlife and habitat is as authentic as if seen through a window into the wilderness that is Kay's classroom.

Kay's accomplishments continue to accrue. Some of her special honors include:

Kay has participated in premiere art shows and events for many years. These include:

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