Art by Elguera

Before Ron passed away in 2023, he greeted his visitors to his gallery in Albuquerque's Old Town as he greeted visitors to his webpage: Greetings and a warm welcome!

By way of introduction, my name is Ron Elguera and I established this website shortly after my 60th birthday. I am a warm, kind, honest person and highly value all my clients who share these qualities.

Dedicated to the arts all my life, I started painting when I was ten years old. At the age of eighteen I temporarily put down the paintbrushes to study the cello and started a promising career in theater. After several years on the New York stage I opted to leave the hurried pace of New York and settle in the much more tranquil atmosphere of New Mexico.

Learning to play the cello and studying music was an excellent investment. Not only did it teach me a certain discipline that only music can provide, but practicing endless scales and arpeggios taught me to become a proficient painter by studying the basic building blocks of art. Majoring in Art and Art History at the University of New Mexico, I thoroughly absorbed the laws of perspective, composition, design, human figure, anatomy, portraiture, color theory and tonal plans. Simultaneously, I studied all the great masters from Giotto to Marcel Duchamp and Picasso. I recently finished absorbing the great masters of the 20th century and am currently devoting myself to what is happening in today's art world.

Here are some important things to remember when shopping for art:

When you look at artwork and it's 'love at first sight', get it. You'll never be sorry you did. Every time you look at it your love will deepen and the electricity it makes you feel will continue long after you've forgotten what you paid for it.

If you absolutely hate a piece of art, it may be even better. An intense reaction means that the art has touched you and you need to look at it again and again. Give it a chance and in all probability, you'll wind up loving it even more than those that are love at first sight. For example: when I saw Cezanne for the first time my reaction was one of disgust. "Good Lord", I thought, "this guy can't even draw let alone paint!" Nevertheless, not only is Cezanne an established great master, but considered to be the father of modern art. So I kept studying him and learning what it was that made him great. After seeing a hundred Cezannes, I came to understand why he is so revered and now every time I see a Cezanne I am thrilled by its beauty.

Know that if a work of art is signed and dated, it always increases in value as it ages. Even if the artist is obscure and the artwork is considered to be 'bad', it will always increase in value over time. If the work reaches to be a hundred years old, consider it to be a valuable heirloom.

Great artists of the time are always beating new paths and it takes the public time to 'catch up'. If modern art baffles you yet you wish to purchase it in the hope that it will someday be worth millions, always ask to see what the artist has done in the classical, conservative styles. If it is a truly serious artist, he will have done plenty of this kind of work. Case in point: at the age of 14, Picasso could paint like Raphael. Later in his career, he not only forged new paths but completely redefined art. It is also interesting to note that all throughout his enormous output, he kept returning again and again to the classical style. This same rule holds true for Mondrian, Rauschenberg, Warhol and countless others.

If a modern artist that you like is unable to do any work in the classical tradition, he will probably never be considered as a great master, but remember rule one: If you love it, get it.

A camera has only one eye and works that are painted from photographs almost always show it. Even though they may be painted in three dimensions, they have a pasty, two dimensional look showing unnecessary detail that would otherwise not appear. A trained eye can almost always detect a work painted from a photograph. As such, these paintings are never as rich as those that use live models for their subject matter. Painting directly on top of photographs has become popular in recent years. Only time will tell, but I personally feel that such works will never become great. Please forgive me if anyone takes offense, but I cannot help but feel that this sort of painting requires a minimum of skill. All the paintings shown in my gallery are either done from live models or come directly from the imagination. There is no work done from photos whatsoever.

I originally tried to show my works in chronological order so that the observer could trace artistic development. This has proven to be impossible, as a great many of them have been sold, leaving gaps of several years which were dedicated to film animation. Although these films are not available for viewing on this website, they are available for viewing upon request. Please continue visiting my website as new paintings and drawings areadded daily.

When an artist sells a painting it is a great temptation to keep making variations of that same painting over and over again (I once thought the art galleries were responsible for this, but realized I was mistaken and offer my apologies to galleries everywhere). You may notice that I paint in about five or six different styles. This is because when I sit in front of a blank canvas, I paint in whatever style the moment inspires me to. The portraits, however, with the exception of one or two, always seem to be in the most classical, conservative of styles; probably because that is what pleases the sitter most, who is usually commissioning the work.

I am always available to paint a portrait of anyone who is interested. I paint portraits in the 'alla prima' style, which means only one sitting required. The sitting usually lasts about two hours and the model is always allowed to speak and move naturally while posing. After the initial sitting, I usually keep the portrait for a few days to allow me to make minor adjustments and add a background. I am willing to fly anywhere in the United States to paint a portrait, though I prefer to stay in Southwest whenever possible.

All works are signed on the front and back and shipped to you in mats with appropriate backing. Unless otherwise stated, all works are done on gessoed, high quality Arches paper.

If within seven days of receipt, you decide you are not completely satisfied, return the painting in the same condition and a full refund (less shipping charges) will be returned.

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ART BY ELGUERA