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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 2015)
A world art tour — under sail Artist Steve Van Ronk stops in Ilwaco on his quest for art Coastal Life Story and photos by DWIGHT CASWELL T The Mystique nods at its slip in Ilwaco, Wash- not galleries. ington, as Steve Van Ronk moves around the deck “My approach to marketing my art hasn’t made securing lines and sails. He is watched closely by me rich,” he says, “but it has made 10 years of Aleutia, a retired champion search-and-rescue WUDYHOLQJDURXQGWKHZRUOGH[SORULQJ dog now working security aboard the 41-foot other cultures. There are people who ketch. He goes below, brews herbal tea, and be- dream all their lives of doing what JLQVWRWDON$WKHLVERWK¿WDQGHEXOOLHQWWKH I’ve done.” words and ideas are a torrent, the outpourings of In the 1980s, Van Ronk had stu- an energetic mind. dios in New Zealand and Australia, “The whole idea of getting this boat was to do where he also taught mechanics to a world art tour,” says Van Ronk. “I’ll go to places an aboriginal tribe with no written ,¶YHDOZD\VZDQWHGWRJRWR,KDYHQR¿[HGLWLQHU ODQJXDJH([SRVXUHWRDERULJLQDODUW ary, which leaves me open to opportunities. It’s not “stimulated my interest in art as an DERXWVDLOLQJLW¶VDERXWFUHDWLYHO\XVLQJP\OLIH´ H[SUHVVLRQRIVSLULWXDOEHOLHIVUDWKHU The Mystique was built in 1975, and Van Ronk than decorative objects,” which in KDVEHHQUH¿WWLQJWKHERDWIRUDQ turn led to, “a quest ocean voyage since he bought it to understand art in 2013. While the boat may be as a psychological a new project, the way of life, process and mysti- which he calls “a quest for art,” cal tradition.” is not. He served in the Navy in In the 1990s, he 9LHWQDPDQGVD\VWKHH[SHULHQFH EHJDQ UH¿WWLQJ JDV both, “opened my mind to inter- oline cars with elec- national culture and closed my tric engines, and mind to politics and b.s.” then began “a con- “Untitled 2,” a painting on glass by Steve Van Ronk. Discharged in 1972, Van ceptual art piece to Ronk opened a small get the public to start think- stained glass shop in ing about the possibility of North Lake Tahoe be- electric vehicles.” This was cause, “No one was doing a program that encourages stained glass at the time high school students to and I thought it was pret- build and race small elec- ty.” He had no training tric vehicles, now called RU H[SHULHQFH LQ VWDLQHG Electrathon America. He glass, but that didn’t stop designed the “e-mule,” a KLP ³, ¿JXUHG RXW KRZ small solar utility vehicle, to do it by trial and error.” and is developing an edu- Unhampered by rules or cational program for home H[SHFWDWLRQV KH KDV LQ schooling, using construc- vented his life through “Untitled,” a painting on glass by Steve Van Ronk. tion of the e-mule to teach continuous improvisation. about science, energy and In 1973 he bought a Ford truck and built a PHFKDQLFV +H EHOLHYHV WKDW WKH QH[W JHQHUDWLRQ wooden house and stained glass studio on it. Ta- properly inspired, will take solar energy, “beyond bles on the sides folded down for glass working anything we can think of.” DQGIRUGLVSOD\LQJZDUHVDWÀHDPDUNHWVDQGDUW Today, Van Ronk’s art is primarily “reverse shows. He set out on a three-year art tour of the painting on glass” — that is, images painted on western United States and discovered that he the back surface of the glass as it is displayed. GLGQ¶WQHHGWR¿QGJDOOHULHV/LNHDVKLSLQSDFN The resulting paintings have brilliant colors and LFHKHIROORZVWKHOHDGVWKDWRSHQXSKHWDNHVWKH a three-dimensional effect. opportunities “that fall into my lap.” Not long ago, Van Ronk asked himself a ques- “The only guarantee is in the public market,” tion many have asked: If I could do anything in Van Ronk says. Sometimes people see his work the world, what would I do? “The answer,” he LQDÀHDPDUNHWDQGDVNKLPWRGRFXVWRPLQVWDO says, “came spontaneously: to get a cruising sail- lations in their homes. He’s done architectural boat and travel, showing and living from my art. work with stone and tile, learning by working This set the path I now tread.” ZLWKH[SHUWVDQGKDVDFTXLUHGWKHVNLOOWRFUHDWH Van Ronk has discovered that, “We are sur- Photo by Dwight Caswell beautiful custom woodwork in the same way. He rounded by magic.” Then he asks, “Are you prac- KDVFROOHFWRUVZKREX\KLVZRUNDWÀHDPDUNHWV ticing magic or just seeking transitory delights?” Steve Van Ronk stands on the deck of his ship, The Mystique, at the Port of Ilwaco. Unhampered by rules or expectations, he has invented his life through continuous improvisation. 4 | January 22, 2015 | coastweekend.com For more information about Steve Van Ronk, go to his website, slvanronk.com
