Ron Ukrainetz

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"I am a native Montanan, raised with a heartfelt appreciation of the natural world. Drawing and painting virtually all my life, I have found a niche in the detail provided by engraving on clay (Scratchboard). I am considered a pioneer in the vivid use of acrylics on the clay surface by developing a method to use full bodied acrylics and not lose the detailed engraving."  

"By portraying accurate detail in my subject matter, my peers have honored me with many prestigious awards including three Best of Show awards from the Western Heritage Artists Show in Great Falls, Montana; two People's Choice Awards from the WHA show, first place in the Pacific Rim Wildlife Art Show remarque competition, Poster Competition first and second place for the Western Reflections Art Show, 1999, and many others. I am also listed as an Artist of Renown for the Rocky Mountain Region."

"One of my most cherished accomplishments is having been juried into the Pacific Rim Wildlife Art Show eleven consecutive years. I have also been featured or included in articles in the Artist's Magazine, U.S. Art, InformArt Magazine, and Wildlife Art News (January-February 1998), as well as many state and regional publications. In 1997, I was asked to be the host of Montana's first statewide art instructional art program for cable television, entitled Montana Artist Magazine. Without a doubt, one of the most humbling tasks that an artist can be asked to perform is to be a juror for a major show or event. I have had the privilege to jury many shows across the United States, including the Montana State Fair Fine Arts Division, Artists/Community Program for the Holter Museum, and the Western Heritage Artists Show here in Montana."

"As a professional artist, I feel it is my obligation to share my knowledge with others. This is accomplished by not only attending workshops, but by teaching them as well. Of all those that I have been privileged to teach, one of the most rewarding is held annually here in Montana for gifted and talented high school and college art students from across the country. It is usually one week long and held in or near the glorious Glacier National Park."

"An artist is also a lifetime student. I have chosen to learn more about my subject matter by participating in numerous regional specie studies, and by becoming a licensed raptor rehabilitator, helping injured birds of prey recover and resume their vital part in the natural world. I am also a living historian with the Lewis and Clark Honor Guard, reenacting specific characters of the historic Voyage of Discovery across 1804 through 1806 America. We can be seen in the Ken Burns Film on PBS entitled  'Lewis and Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery'. "

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