Ron Jackson was born 1940 in Fredericksburg, VA and grew up in Colonial Beach, VA. He graduated with a BFA from Richmond Professional Institute (now Virginia Commonwealth University) in 1962. In 1965 he received his MFA with distinction from California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland (now California College of Art). Jackson taught 6 years, 1966-1972, at Virginia Commonwealth University. He then taught painting and drawing at Illinois State University for 30 years and retired from there in 2002. Jackson has been a prolific artist producing work for decades. His philosophy has always been that the reward of making art occurs in the studio versus showing in a gallery. Despite this he has shown often over the years. Jackson resides in Chenoa, IL.