Ron Di Scenza

Biography

Born in Ohio in 1954 to Italian parents who migrated from Italy to the United States, Ron began drawing at the age of three. In fact, by the time Ron was eight years old, his parents became concerned by reports from school that he spent "too much time daydreaming and doodling" and sent him to military school to help him focus on his studies. In the 1970's Ron's family moved to Long Island. For the young artist, New York was an incredible place, and he began to work more and more on his art. Ron also spent many of his summers in Italy, where he spent hours with the "Masters" in the museums and galleries. It was in Italy that Ron solidified his dream that he wanted to be an artist. Ron attended the School of Visual Arts in New York, where he was awarded a scholarship, earned his Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art, and became the youngest instructor at the school, teaching undergraduate courses in illustration and graphic design. As a freelance editorial artist, Ron has produced work for Ballantine Books, Doubleday, RCA Records, Field and Stream, Sports Illustrated, and Time Magazine. Ron has also worked for Tiffany & Company, in their corporate division, where he was assigned to design the Washington Commemorative Plates, the Battersea boxes for the anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. He also designed special gift items for Sony, IBM, CVS, and Caesar's Palace. In 1995 Ron began what would be a major life change. While vacationing in Italy in the hometown of his parents, he was so drawn to the beauty of the land and the people that he decided to spend some extra time to paint for his portfolio. In Italy he found "an aura of light rarely seen anywhere else in the world". It was during these months that he met his inspiration and muse, Maria. Today, Ron is happily married and, when asked about his greatest work, he points to his son, Eric.