California painter Ronald Ray Rogers flew from San Luis Obispo to Brussels, Belgium, earlier this year, where he spent about three weeks sketching and taking photographs as reference material for paintings to be completed back home. Southwest Art’s Bonnie Gangelhoff caught up with Rogers in the village of Soignies. This is the eighth in a series of columns that invite you to travel with the artists to far-flung locations.
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Ronald Ray Rogers
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What was the purpose of this trip? A year ago, my oldest daughter and her husband moved to Belgium. A few days after their arrival, my son-in-law called and told me that I needed to be here. He said the countryside was incredible and everywhere he looked had the makings for a Ronald Ray Rogers painting. So I spent the year preparing to visit them in anticipation of gathering material for a new body of work. They live in the countryside outside the village of Soignies, where the surrounding farms are so close that the rooster’s morning crow and the cows bellowing for their first milking awaken us.
How does travel inspire your work? The change of pace and scenery provides me with a fresh perspective, abundant new material, and the time to contemplate my work. I find myself attracted to the landscapes that, although similar to those that I have seen before, I now perceive with a rejuvenated freshness brought on by this new place.
Do you have a favorite subject matter? Trees. I paint trees mostly. Some trees lend themselves to a very simple painting while others lend themselves to something more complex. Sometimes there will be a hint of structures, fields, farmlands, or even still life (fruit from trees). But I always seem to be pulled back to trees. From my earliest memories, I have a sense of peace and solace among trees. They are a place where I can find a clear mind. Perhaps this is why I paint them. I feel they are part of me that I can share with others. I really did not know what to expect here in Belgium, but the trees have a symmetry and order that seem to find their way into my work.
What was the most memorable moment of your trip so far? Seeing a giant Sequoia tree. It was part of the most memorable day of my stay, when we took an open-air Jeep ride through the back roads of southeast Belgium. We stopped often for me to sketch and capture images standing on the back seat of the Jeep. Our destination was a monastery in Chimay called Abbey Scourmont and the restaurant Auberge de Poteaupre. The onastery is known for its brewery and beer that had been considered holy water for centuries.
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Chimay Farm by Ronald Ray Rogers
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What do you miss most about the U.S.? Next to my studio, there are two things I miss. The first is my navigational ability. At home, I have an innate ability to know my north-south orientation, and I’m able to locate where I am on the map with little or no ifficulty. Here I use landmarks and maps, only to find myself many kilometers out of the way or completely lost. The second item I miss is a good American-size large coffee. I love my large mug of coffee in the morning, and sometimes one in the afternoon. All I have been able to find here has been a coffee the size of a small Dixie cup. All European standards of relaxing and socializing would be easier over a cup of coffee that lasts longer than two sips.
What will you miss about Europe when you return home? I will miss the slow pace and relaxed way of life. People here take time to enjoy the moments. I think it can be best described by looking at how the cafés and restaurants are more about the experience of enjoying the food and the people you are with than just eating. When you wish to leave, you have to ask for the bill and you are never rushed out to make a place for the next customer. Belgium is a lot like the United States was in the 1950s—a place where stores close in the evenings, the shop keeper lives upstairs, and the restaurants only serve dinner for a few hours after 6 p.m. Somehow retro feels comfortable.
Rogers is represented by Coda Gallery, Palm Desert, CA, and New York, NY; Just Looking Gallery, San Luis Obispo, CA, and West Hartford, CT; and www.ronaldrayrogers.com.
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