-Of Monks and Monsters -

Ron Monasterio and Ron Monster are the same person, one just has fewer vowels

Why Monster?

What's in a nickname?

My name is Ron Monasterio but I also go by the name Ron Monster, mostly at Tiki shows.
Monster comes from Monasterio, drop a few letters from Monasterio and you have Monster.

Monasterio is a name rich in nickname possibilities: Monster Stereo, Mono - Stereo (Hey, your name's a contradiction!). Two things make a nickname stick, protesting and domain availability. So when a Tattoo artist called out, "Hey, Ron Monster", I bought the domain, it stuck.

Just to Clarify:

A Monasterio is a building or buildings occupied by a community of monks living under religious vows (most likely in a Latin country). Or as a little old lady at a check-in desk once said "Your name means church in my language".

A Monster is an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening. I'm short, but ugly and frightening are too subjective to be mentioned here. FYI I'm shorter than Napoleon, who is taller than you think.

A long-winded history of me

I got my bachelors from California Institute of the Arts.

 

My first art job was airbrushing t-shirts at an amusement park, then I went on to screen printing t-shirts, then serigraphs. At the same time I also a picker for California pottery and 50’s household goods, combing thrift stores and garage sales then selling at swap meets and to antique dealers.

 

I taught graphic design at a trade school, then moved on to newspapers doing editorial illustration and info-graphics in both Ventura, CA and on Maui, HI. While on Maui I began drawing tikis and Polynesian artwork, sparking a lifelong passion for all things Polynesia, and the post-war American interpretation of it. I also built ads and was production manager for a small paper on Maui.

 

Back on the mainland…

I worked as a Mac Temp in Arizona filling in for graphic designers. Not quite ready for desert living yet, I moved back to Ventura, CA to became a production manager for a database publisher, taking them from paste-up to digital and starting an in-house art department.

 

Moving back to LA County, I did courtroom presentations for a legal graphics company, then moved on to web design working on membership sites. I increased my focus on freelance, doing logos, photography, web design, real estate ads and video editing, and moved to Joshua Tree to remodel an old cabin. (Check out the slide show om Time lapse page)

 

I spent the next five years as caregiver for my Dad and in-laws relying on more freelance plus picking, estate liquidation, and selling on eBay. Being in Joshua Tree began my obsession with time lapse. I begin posting daily 15 second clips of time lapse on Instagram called "15 Seconds of Joshua Tree Sky" .

 

I taught at an Apple store, and also did some mobile support for almost five years.

 

I conducted Department of Labor three day workshops for up to 51 separating and retiring military personnel and their spouses who are transitioning into civilian life on various military bases.

 

I sell Tikis and Tiki related products at Tiki events and online.