IT STARTED WITH A FORTUNE COOKIE

 THE CRACKING OF ARTIST RONALD KIBBLE

 Colorful, angry, intense and lets not forget sexual, the work of Ronald Kibble can be interpreted in endless ways. But let us not analyze it for you. We urge you to to settle in and take what you want away from his works. We will however give you a bit of  his back history. Hopefully this information will assist you in forming a better opinion to why he chooses to express himself the way that he does.
 
Approaching someone for an interview can sometimes be a nerve racking experience. You never know how the person will respond. Not knowing much about the man himself, our approach was somewhat calculated and strategic. Mission achieved, but just how much was he willing to reveal?

Happily we learned from the beginning that Kibble describes himself as an open book. So lets start at the beginning...

Being down right truthful, Ronald's childhood was pretty fucked up. There is not other way to describe it.
 During various times in all of our lives, we have come across people who have described their upbringing in this manner, but after hearing their experiences we're like "heh, its not that bad." Kibble's childhood, isn't one of those scenarios.

Born in Mukwonago,Wisconsin, Ronald grew up enduring several challenges health wise. Born with an undeveloped stomach he made many trips to the hospital including a stint where he had to stay there for 5 years.Surely an experience of this magnitude that any child would see as scary and even lonely.

Once his conditions showed signs of improvement, Ronald could began to live his life like a normal kid. So he thought. Though he was finally able to start school, Kibble showed signs of yet another concern, dyslexia. (And if it weren't enough, we also learn that he takes medication for OCD)

Educational and Learning issues when it comes to a child's development should never be taken lightly.But hearing about the place where his studies took place lead to feelings sadness and fear. Living with his family in a dormitory at Norris Adolescent Center, Kibble was surrounded by children who were from very troubled and disturbing circumstances. One of the children was there because he raped a family member. Another for killing his own mother.  

By now you're asking "what did Ronald do to be placed in such a facility?" Nothing really. His father worked as a counselor at the center. Understandably, Kibble wasn't allowed to have friends come visit him at the center. Whats puzzling is that he also wasn't allowed to leave the property either. 

"It keep me very isolated. My imagination I believe expanded because of all this," he explains.

 While Ronald may have faced cognitive set backs as a kid, his imagination and creative spirit was fully alive. The artist shares with FFM that he knew what he wanted to do with his life at a very early age.

"When I was just a child, I think in 3rd grade, I started seeing myself as an artist. I had a Picasso poster and a stuffed animal that looked like a painter. But it wasn't until high school that I really knew that art was my path. I begin devoting more time to my poetry, paintings, and drawings." he explains.

Small indications of his calling tended to show their face throughout his life. The artist recalls a time in college where he decided to dine at a Chinese restaurant. After dinner, he cracks open his fortune cookie to read "art is your fate, don't debate."

Kibble describes his college years as enjoyable. Continuing his education at the University of Milwaukee after less than ideal scenarios of childhood, his passion and drive speaks volumes.

 Though his educational experiences improved, that doesn't mean that reality checks would halt. Majoring in Commercial Design, Kibble elaborates on the sometimes harsh critiques he received about his work.

"I loved my college years, but they were also strange. Not all of the instructors believed in me. One called me a pervert. Another refused to pass me because he said I was not a real artist. There were so many preconceived ideas of art was supposed to be. Not a lot of free thinkers like me, but I met a lot of amazing people.  

Going against the grain, and sticking to his guns, Kibble's determination  has worked in his favor. He has had an exhibit showcasing his work at a gallery in Milwaukee. Even drew up a bit of controversy in doing so. Apparently the Milwaukee Police Department saw his work as pornographic and tried to shut down the show. Coming to a mutual agreement, the exhibit was allowed to stay up but the gallery had to curtain the windows and put up a notice of warning for potential guests.

Kibble's work has also been featured in the documentary Paper Dreams. Recognizing a short but pivotal point (1966-1973) in the male erotica magazine industry, Paper Dreams highlights an era when very young men would sit in front of the lenses of  photographers, dressed primarily in nothing but their birthday suits to make a little money.

In case you're wondering, Ronald wasn't in existence during these times but the era has had a great influence in his work. It would be Paper Dreams creator Toby Ross, would asked him to be a part of the documentary.

Going on record saying that he generally works 8 to 16 hours a day, Kibble seems to keep himself busy. He tells FFM that negativity critiques don't bother him, but he appreciates the positive ones.
And from the looks of it, the good by far outweighs the bad. While this piece on him is being composed, we learn that Kibble has been asked to show his work at a gallery in Norway, along with paris and Berlin.

To see more of his work, be sure to visit his site: www.ronkibble.com.