Homeless Man Paints His World In Park
RE: BUZZFEED APPLICATION He has hung out with some of the greatest legends in pop culture. Now, he lives out of his car in a small park.
Ron Stivers has lived two lives.
The first half, he says, was spent luxuriously, as a notable artist, entertainer and friend to such elite as David Kennedy and Harvey Milk.
The second, although eventful, has been plagued with depression and the persistent battle of where he will rest his head the following night.
Throughout each period, however, there has always been one constant — the relationship he shares between his mind, heart and paintbrush.
"I've had quite a colorful life, and I'm psychotic in my passion," he explained.
Stivers, 69, has spent most of his years as a traveling street artist, frequenting areas from Los Angeles to San Francisco and selling pieces for up to $60,000.
The Three Rivers, California native first gained notoriety by accident at 16 after his father convinced him to give painting a try.
Stivers pulled out some canvas boards, bought cheap paint, mixed it with other natural materials and produced a depiction of Mineral King, a valley in Sequoia National Park.
"It took one painting, and I became famous overnight. I was on the map," he said.
The uphill journey following his discovery led him to UCLA, where he graduated with a degree in physical geography and had his art showcased in 1970, later gaining attention from such well-known galleries as the Huntington Library.
His success, which was at its height in the mid-'70s and '80s, then led him back to Three Rivers, where he ran a local artist hangout called the Apple House.
A little more than a decade ago, however, the property was foreclosed and he lost everything, having to depend on contacts he made for financial help, which is how he ended up in a mobile home park in Santa Maria, California.
Two months ago, the female friend supporting him decided she wanted full ownership, and he has been homeless since.
Now, each day, Stivers arrives at Waller Park around 6 a.m., painting landscapes from his memories of Three Rivers — and the surrounding Sequoia area — on canvases.
Although there is no telling which route Stivers' rollercoaster life will take him on next, one thing is certain — his love of the art will never fade.
"I'm still as stubborn as ever," he explained. "These (canvases) are my babies. And no matter where I go, I'll always have them."
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