Mixing it Up: Q&A with Watsonville Artist Ron Milhoan

Working in paint, drawing and mixed media collage, Watsonville artist Ron Milhoan tries to keep his work and his style unpredictable—even if others might see consistency through it all.

“People come in and see my work and think that it’s my style but I always think it’s pretty diverse and eclectic. But I’m old enough to accept that I am who I am,” said Milhoan.

As part of the Cultural Arts Council of Santa Cruz County’s Open Studios Art Tour, Milhoan’s studio opens to the public Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 8 and 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. At 374 Dusty Trail, off Calabasas Road, people can come see selections from each area Milhoan works in.

We spoke with Milhoan about his work and what people visiting her studio can expect to see. Check out that lightly edited conversation below.

Patch: What’s your experience with Open Studios?

Milhoan: I do it every three years or so. I like the idea of people coming out and seeing what you’re doing. And the money the booklet (calendar) raises for the Cultural Arts Council and art education, it’s trying to support that and get your work out into the community so people can see it. A lot of the artists in these shows are people who were students of mine so it’s kind of neat to see them. I’ve been teaching at Cabrillo College since ’84.

Patch: Why do you move between different mediums?

Milhoan: I started out more exploratory, experimental and trying to create something original that you hadn’t seen before. I think the older I got, and partly from being a teacher I got a little more traditional. I tried to hone my skills, because of my teaching, so students learn that. But my background is in process; starting out being lost and then trying to find it in the work instead of having a clear image.

So I’m kind of back and forth and the collage stuff works very well when I have paintings I don’t really like and I cut out areas I like or sections and put them in a pile and collage them. I like collage because you can move it around; move a shape around and then stick it down and paint into it. So collage is like being a kid in a way.

Patch: So teaching has had an influence on your work?

Milhoan: Teaching gives me the time to teach and it’s always about art. But you get very analytical in teaching and are always analyzing people’s work. And you come home and you don’t want to over analyze your own work, you just do it.

Patch: Your most recent painting series “No Place to Hide” seemed more autobiographical. Can you talk about these paintings and what you’re trying to explore in them?

Milhoan: I focused in on that and these bigger paintings that were more narratives about family, about your past. So they’re a lot of old photographs. My parents died and I had a lot of pictures from them. I would kind of go through and reflect on it and blow them up and paint from them as a source. It’s more autobiographical, more personal. So a lot of people connect with them because it reflects a black and white photograph from the past. It’s like a memory.