Ron Hicks' works have been characterized as a blend of representational art and impressionism. Some critics have compared them to paintings by Rembrandt and Daumier. The 41 year old artist translates his own moody visions with a muted palette and rarely uses pure color.  He particularly favors the variety he finds in gray. "Gray allows me to capture atmosphere, mood and layers of emotion," he says. "'Gray sets the tone for the rest of the painting." Ron's favorite subject matter are figures and interiors, but he says painting them is really about painting shapes of color. Ron sees things more in terms of shape rather than objects or people.  He has been interested in art since he was 4 years old growing up in Columbus, Ohio.  His mother pursued art as a hobby and took correspondence courses. Ron would scan the critiques of his mother's works and then trace some of the assignments himself. Hicks attended classes at the Columbus College of Art and Design on scholarship and eventually moved west where he graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art and studied at the Art Students League there and later worked for a time as a freelance illustrator.