ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST
RIC EPLEY (American)
Abstract painter Ric Epley has a diverse and broad background – (Evansville Living Magazine, 2012). After graduating with a B.S. in psycho-biology from The University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, Indiana where he grew up, he lived and worked as a fashion model in France, Germany, Sweden, Norway and then back in the US – for clients such as Hermes, Gaultier, Ralph Lauren, NASCAR, Schwinn among many others. While in Europe he also played basketball for Élan Sportif de Paris in France and Klubb Patricia in Sweden. He was part of a team of the original researchers for SATSA, a now decades-long longitudinal monozygotic twin study at the renowned Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.
Subsequently returning to the United States for good, Epley became involved in photography (Miller Beer, RJR Reynolds, The Wildhorse Saloon, plus 100s of aspiring and working models) and advertising (Coca-Cola, Steak n Shake, WWE) in both media and creative and account management. Later, he started his own boutique multimedia company (www.FusionNewMedia.com) which quickly garnered such clients as Belo Media Group, Eli Lilly and Company, The Ryman Auditorium, WSM Radio, and The Grand Ole Opry, to name a few.
Today, Epley, an unconventional polymath, continues to act as president of Fusion. He holds a Master of Arts Degree in Interactive Design and is an authority on technology and the stress it produces. He has recently added to his many interests by becoming a certified FEMA contractor, assisting in the Hurricane Irma relief effort in 2017. A devoted and involved single father, Epley occasionally dreams in Swedish and is self-described as “marginally conversational ” in French. Ric’s unusual and diverse background and career, including his time with FEMA, has made him the basis for a staple fictional character in the captivating MacGuffin Series alongside author Thyme Lewis.
His foray into abstract art was initially cathartic and completely unintentional. “I nearly failed my high school art class. Realism is not my style, but I wanted it to be then”, he recalls. “Abstract suits me perfectly. I am humbled and grateful by the very warm commercial reception I’ve experienced as an autodidactic artist”. Epley’s insatiable curiosity keeps him ever experimenting with new artistic methods and directions.
- His works were called “ALIVE!” by noted German-born Parisian artist Katrin Jakobsen.
- The Daily Grind in Los Angeles said, “(Epley’s)… paintings are very intense and exhibit a sensuality rarely seen in abstract art!”
- Ralph Dane said that “his colors explode onto the canvas…!” (GETDOWNARTblog, 2010).
- Dorian Smith of The South Pacific Art Institute calls Epley “charismatic and very confident but humble and approachable all at once – qualities reflected perfectly in his art”.
Ric Epley Art can be found hanging in homes and businesses in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Canada.
Patrons are invited to PURCHASE ART at www.venmo.com/Ric-Epley