Ron Poniatowski, MFA, was raised in Racine Wisconsin and graduated from Washington Park High School in 1975. His first employer was the Racine Commercial Airport Corporation, where he worked as a lineman; servicing and hangaring aircraft as well as riding his Harley. During this time, he attended the University of Wisconsin Parkside as a part-time Art major and will admit that his main reason for going to school was to be on the University's fencing team, because his girl friend was the women's team captain. Later, he moved to Madison and worked at Four Lakes Aviation, again as a lineman. During this time he attended Madison Area Technical College in Architectural Drafting, then dropped out of work to attend the University of Wisconsin full time.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education from the University of Madison in 1986, then earned his Master of Fine Art degree from The Pennsylvania State University at State College, in 1988. After working as a visiting artist at the University of Wisconsin Marathon Center, in Wausau, he accepted a position as a high school art instructor with the Portage Community Schools. This career has allowed him the pleasure of working with a wide range of students, who were destined for any number of careers both in and out of the art field. As such, his intent has been to help young people appreciate art; whether it's found in a museum, or more commercial applications.
While he is, in a manner of speaking, a 'Master of Mud', having focused on Ceramic Sculpture and functional ware in graduate school, he finds it impossible to favor any single medium in his work. This is mainly because much of his day is spent teaching any number of media and all have come to play in his own pieces. None the less, whether sculpting, drawing, photographing or metal smithing, his works tend to reflect his interest in architecture, machinery and other structural objects. Whether working steel into representations of the carapace-like forms associated with medieval armor, or abstracting the ribs, stringers and other characteristics referenced from aircraft, airships and buildings, he employs media that will best convey the concept at hand; whether in 2D or 3D.
Ron has worked with a wide range of subjects as an illustrator and artist. His interest in history and military experience as an artilleryman and tanker have resulted in a series of vehicle illustrations. Association with Wisconsin's Circus World Museum in Baraboo has sparked a number of drawings related to that world, as well as illustrations for a novel by John Lloyd; "Leaving Flat Iron Creek". Classroom demonstrations have created hundreds of small works in a wide variety of media. Photography has been important both as a means of gathering references as well as a series of design-based compositions while serving in Iraq. Currently, he's working on his second harness of armor as well as a number of small sculptures. Still, his interest in drawing, writing and exploring concepts is undiminished and each month seems to present new ideas for future works.
Throughout his career, he's never forgotten the influence and help of friends: the late and fondly remembered Don Reitz, who turned him on to clay; Mary Ann Nanassy, a fellow U.W. graduate working at Portage when he applied, insisted he be hired as her co-worker and many, many other wonderful education professionals and artists he's met and worked with over the years. As he tells his students, the greatest gift any artist can have is to observe even the most familiar objects as if seeing them for the first time and to ask, "What if?"
In 2014, through a cousin in Poland, he found that his is a great grandson (with many "greats" in there) of Prince Jozef A. Poniatowski, a Colonel in the Austrian Army, General in the Polish Army and finally, a Marshall of France (the only non-Frenchman to EVER receive the honor). it's an amazing thing to realize that this great man's genetic heritage is part of his own.
At this time, Ron is an education professional, rather than a full time producing artist. However, he has once again started to produce, show and sell work.