The paintings of Ron Levy

“My Story, Not a Biography”

I began painting during the COVID-19 pandemic, at a relatively late stage in life, inspired by a televised lecture by Professor Yoram Yovell. In his talk, he emphasized the importance of maintaining brain vitality in later years and discussed various ways to prevent the natural decline in cognitive function among older adults. One of his recommendations was to engage in activities that are radically different from one’s usual pursuits, citing learning to play the cello as an example.

As a musician who had already started studying the cello at the age of eight, I sought an area completely unfamiliar to me—this led me to painting. I had never doodled with a pencil or held a paintbrush in my hand. It was a completely new experience for me, just as Professor Yovell had suggested. I began cautiously, with a plain sheet of paper and a pencil, secretly drawing straight and diagonal lines. From there I progressed to geometric shapes, and later to sketching various objects that happened to be on my desk.

When I saw that the results were promising, I showed the drawings to my partner and began engaging in this “artistic” activity openly. The transition from sketching to painting was swift. With the help of online tutorials, I taught myself to paint on canvas using acrylics—convenient and accessible paints. I practiced trees, clouds, water, reflections, and more, and dedicated several hours each day to it, gaining immense joy and satisfaction from the process.

Since then, I have remained a self-taught painter, committed to this daily practice with passion and gratitude to Professor Yovell for bringing new meaning to my life—or as my partner puts it: “I married a pianist, and now I live with a painter.”