During his 95 years, with more than 70 in an aesthetic experience within the realm of fine art, Clayton Rippey is a highly acclaimed painter and muralist living in the Western United States, having presented over 125 solo shows throughout the course of his career. Specializing in landscapes, water scenes and wildlife, Mr. Rippey is also well known for his journeys into many varieties of abstract painting, sculpture, mosaics, printmaking, and large murals. The former owner of Sea Spirit Gallery in Kapaa, Hawaii, in the ‘80s, Mr. Rippey also served as a professor of art for Bakersfield College, Calif., from 1950 to 1980, professor of art at Maui Community College (now the University of Hawaii) from 1967 to 1968 (while on leave of absence from Bakersfield), and owner of Rippey Gallery in Bakersfield, in 1955.
In preparation for his prolific career, Mr. Rippey completed music coursework at Northwestern University between 1941 and 1942, and later added another career by studying art at Whitworth College between 1946 and 1947. During this time, he served in the U.S. military during World War II, returning from the E.T.O. with a combat infantry badge, a Theater Ribbon with three clusters, a Purple Heart, and a Bronze Star. After leaving Whitworth, he earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Stanford University from 1948 to 1950. Following the acquisition of his degrees, he completed postgraduate art studies at Instituto Allende in San Miguel Allende, Mexico, in 1955, and in following summers, San Jose State and College of Pacific, Calif.
Notably, Mr. Rippey has been featured in prominent galleries both domestic and abroad in such states as California, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada, as well as in Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland. He was a featured exhibitor in the Bakersfield Gallery of Todd and Maris Madigan for 47 years. In recognition of his accomplishments in the art world, Mr. Rippey has been listed in the 23rd and 24th editions of Marquis Who’s Who in the West.
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