Ronald Martin West was born in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, in 1974. From childhood Ronald have shown a keen interest in art. His formal art training only started in high school, when he joined the PJ Olivier Art Centre from 1989 to 1992, with sculpture as the main subject. Ronald matriculated from Paul Roos Gimnasium in 1992. In 1993 he started studying at the Cape Technicon Graphic Design Department. Ronald was soon confronted by the linear and analytical side of the Graphic Design course and realized that a diploma in Graphic Design would mean to be restricted to a desk. He only finished his first year and also his 8 years absence from art... By 2002 Ronald was working for a very well-known office automation company for several years. That year his wife, Jolene, bought him his first art easel. Ronald painted at every chance he was given. One night in November 2002 Ronald was awakened by such a vivid dream that he knew he could not go on with his life as a salesman. He had to pursue his hearts desire, ART. On that Monday he resigned and took up his brushes and paint and has never looked back since.Ravensburger HistoryRavensburger Spieleverlag GmbH is a German game company and market leader in the European jigsaw puzzle market.
The company was founded by Otto Robert Maier with seat in Ravensburg, a town in Upper Swabia in southern Germany. He began publishing in 1883 with his first author contract. He started publishing instruction folders for craftsmen and architects, which soon acquired him a solid financial basis. His first board game appeared in 1884, named "Journey around the world".
At the turn of the 20th century, his product line broadened to include picture books, books, children’s activity books, Art Instruction manuals, non-fiction books, and reference books as well as children’s games, Happy Families and activity kits. In 1900, the Ravensburger blue triangle trademark was registered with the Imperial Patent office. As of 1912, many board and activity games had an export version that was distributed to Western Europe, the countries of the Danube Monarchy as well as Russia.
Before the First World War, Ravensburger had around 800 products. The publishing house was damaged during the Second World War and continued to produce games in the years of the reconstruction. The company focused on children's games and books and specialized books for art, architecture and hobbies, and from 1962 grew strongly. The company started to produce jigsaw puzzle games in 1964, and in the same year opened subsidiaries in Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In 1977 the company split into a book publishing arm and a game publishing arm.
Today there are approximately 1,800 available books and 850 games as well as puzzles, hobby products and CD-ROM titles at Ravensburger and its subsidiaries, which include Alea for "hobby and ardent game players" and FX Schmid for games and children's books. Ravensburger products are exported to more than fifty countries.
In September 2010, Ravensburger broke Educa's record for the world's largest jigsaw puzzle of 24,000 pieces. Ravensburger's new puzzle design by late pop artist Keith Haring titled, 'Keith Haring: Double Retrospect' breaks the Guinness Book of World Records measuring 17' × 6' built from 32,256 pieces and comes with its own dolly cart for toting. |
