Award-winning artist Ron Murrey Haist has been internationally recognized for his paintings, airbrushing, photography, pyrography, and poetry, and most recently published two books with a third one expected next year.
Haist held his first book signing at the Innisfil IdeaLAB & Library last weekend during the Innisfil Studio Tour’s Autumn Art Show and Sale, featuring his first two books of a trilogy series in the works.
“This is my first set of books written by me, for me,” shares Haist.
During the event, Haist featured a variety of his other works from illustrations using mediums such as ink, pen, oils, acrylic, and airbrush, to his pyrography work (controlled wood-burning art), photography, and poetry.
“Poetry, pyrography, paintings, graphic designs… it doesn’t matter what I do, God has blessed me with all these abilities,” he says.
The books are part of a trilogy-continuum about a girl named ‘Chrissy’ who goes ‘on the run’ to avoid a situation and ends up in a town called Tuoyawon (the title of the book).
“She has trouble getting out (of the town) and meets all kinds of people that are so nice and supportive and trying to help her, but they don’t know what the ‘situation’ is yet,” he describes in the first book which was written in 2018.
The second book (published February of this year) continues Chrissy's journey, but the plot thickens as she attempts to leave Tuoyawon with a ‘surprise’ ending, shares Haist.
“I like stories that bend your mind,” he expresses. “I’ll lead you one way but all of a sudden I’ll jump the track!”
Haist describes his books as ‘cliffhanger mysteries’ and says the third book (which will complete the trilogy) is expected to be published in early 2022.
He creates all his own book covers and shares his illustrations are designed to add to his stories.
“I try and create a story in my artwork as well,” he says. “I do the same thing in writing, when I write the story I don’t give you the answer right away… I like to leave people wondering.”
“The third book is going to blow your minds,” he hints. “There’s no profanity, no violence, it all just mind-twists throughout the whole thing, and that’s what I like!”
Haist says he still does commercial work on the side and shares he can ‘move from one to the other’ very fluidly.
“If you’ve ever done something and thought ‘wow, that’s great!’…that's me. I don’t know where it all comes from,” he laughs.
To learn more about Ron Haist and his work, visit his website at: https://haist.pixels.com/
