Ramon Froman was born in Louise, Texas. He was a nationally
recognized artist and teacher specializing in oil portrait
painting – both commissioned and in portraying the
fine character of American Indians, Mexican-Americans,
Spanish et al. He derived inspiration from the paintings of
the Masters such as Velasquez, Van Dyke, Rubens, Frans
Hals. The twentieth century painters who influenced him the
most were Robert Henri, John Singer Sargent, Ander Zorn,
and Joaquin Sorolla.
Froman studied in Chicago. His first teacher, Emden F. Van
Amburgh, was the man to whom he gives the most credit for
his launching a successful painting career and who had the
greatest influence upon his life. He studied anatomy with
Charles Schroeder, brush technique and color with Glenn C.
Sheffer, for illustration he studied with Edwin Henry and
Hadden Sundblum, portrait painting with Frederic Mizen. He
also studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago.
After moving to Dallas in 1946 he became interested in
watercolor studying with Gerry Pierce, Rex Brandt, Edgar
Whitney and John Pike. He was a Fellow Member of American
Artists Professional League, Inc. and an Associate Member
of Allied Artists of America, both of New York City, a
Charter Member of Artists and Craftsmen Associated and
Southwestern Watercolor Society of Dallas, and a Member of
Coppini Academy of Fine Arts, San Antonio. He was a
permanent exhibiting member of Grand Central Art Galleries,
New York City, The Taos Art Gallery, Taos, New Mexico, and
Reminisce Gallery, Fort Worth, Texas. Froman directed the
nationally recognized Froman School of Art at Cloudcroft,
New Mexico, for twenty -three years.
His portraits are included in the permanent collections of
Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas
at Austin, Oklahoma Heritage House in the Oklahoma Hall of
Fame Galleries, Koshare Indian Museum, La Junta, Colorado,
plus industrials, hospitals and numerous private
collections. One of his commissions was the painting of the
portraits of four past presidents of Dresser Industries.
Froman’s numerous awards through the past years
include many from the American Artists Professional League,
Inc., New York City in Best Portrait, Gold Medal Award.