Since retiring from engineering in 1998, he now paints full time. Ron is primarily self-taught. In 1997, he was elected to The Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (CSPWC) which was founded in 1925 "to cultivate and encourage excellence in the medium of watercolour".

Ron Hazell is an accomplished artist in several mediums including oils, but his favorite is watercolour. His subject matter is wide ranging, but he is best known for his light-filled cityscapes and for his marine paintings, including the people who make their living from the sea, their boats, and their communities.

The 2003 Spring issue of the American Artist WATERCOLOR Magazine features Ron's marine paintings in an article titled "Water: Wet-in-Wet". The article includes nine of Ron's paintings as well as describing his painting methods and materials. International Artist Publishing is including one of Ron's marine paintings in a new book titled "How Did You Paint That? 100 Ways to Paint Landscapes", to be published in 2004.

Ron regularly gives workshops and painting courses in watercolour painting to groups throughout Atlantic Canada. His work can be viewed at Lyghtesome Gallery in Antigonish, at the Art Sales and Rental Society at The Art Gallery of N.S. in Halifax, and at his studio/gallery in Brookside, a suburb of Halifax, N.S.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2007 — Art Sales & Rental Society, Art Gallery of N.S.
2005 — Ron Hazell Studio/Gallery, Brookside, N.S.
1999 — Lyghtesome Gallery, Antigonish, N.S.
1998 — Lunenburg Art Gallery, N.S.
1991 — Hollis Gallery, Halifax, N.S.
1989 — Manuge Galleries, Halifax, N.S.
1987 — Lyghtesome Gallery, Antigonish, N.S.
1985 — Emberly Galleries, Halifax, N.S.

Selected Juried Exhibitions

CSPWC - "Unlimited Potential"
80th Society Anniversary Travelling Exhibition, 2005

CSPWC - "Open Water" International Competition
Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery, 2004

CSPWC —"Water"
Wallace Studios, Toronto, Ontario (2003)

CSPWC — Watercolour: Into the Next Millennium Canadian Tour
(1998 - 2004)

CSPWC —"Open Water" International Competition
N.S. Public Archives, Halifax, Nova Scotia (2002)

California Watercolor Association 33rd National Art Exhibition
San Francisco, CA (2001)

CSPWC — "Royal Collection"
O'Connor Gallery, Toronto, Ontario (2000)

CSPWC — "Open Water " International Competition
John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto, Ontario (1999)

CSPWC Diploma Collection
Housed permanently at the Peel Gallery, Brampton, Ontario (1997)

Major Collections

Royal Collection of Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor Castle, England
Bank of Montreal
Domtar of Canada Ltd.
Richardson Greenshields of Canada Ltd.
Senate Offices, Ottawa
Nova Scotia Legislature
St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, N.S.
Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S.

Artist's Statement

Light has always fascinated me. The morning sun beams through the lifting fog, scattering into countless facets of light, a sparkle of brilliance on the Atlantic Ocean just down the road from my studio. I attempt to quickly record such moments in paint, to capture that light and share its fleeting beauty with others. Flooding a scene with light makes it sing. The medium of watercolour is ideal for "painting light". I also like to paint the ordinary moments that we all experience in everyday life. If others can identify with that experience by viewing my work, I have succeeded.