Ronald Harmon ’83 has spent the last 30 years of his career combining his expertise in chemistry with his artistic side.
Harmon, who majored in chemistry at Whittier College, is chief chemist and technical director at Daniel Smith, Inc., a Seattle-based manufacturer of watercolors and oils for artists.
“I’m responsible for research and development of artist paints, as well as overall quality control of all Daniel Smith paints and products,” Harmon told the Seattle Times in a recent article. “I consistently test new and exciting pigments from all over the world for their adaptability to artist materials.”
After graduating from Whittier, Harmon began working as a quality control chemist for a major aerospace coating company and worked his way up to research and development within the same company. After working in that role for six years, he decided he wanted to work closer with people who could use what he made to “create beauty.” So Harmon moved to Seattle to work for Daniel Smith to create paint and materials for artists and has been there for the past 30 years.
His favorite part of the job is “working with new pigments or minerals that create a fabulous watercolor or oil color…Once a color is approved, I work with the best batch makers in the industry to make the color that artists will love.”
Click here to read the full Seattle Times article.
