Ron Brown began studying Sogetsu ikebana in 1979 and quickly combined a long interest in ceramics with his arrangements. Ikebana became a major force in his life and in 1986 he became a student of renowned master teacher Shuko Kobayashi. He soon gained a deeper understanding of ikebana as a complete work of art with unlimited creative possibilities. Mr. Kobayashi awarded Ron his first teaching degree in 1988 and named him Kodo, a name which reflects unlimited potential in the creative sense. He now holds the Sogetsu rank of Somu. In 1985 and 1987 Ron assisted visiting headmaster Hiroshi Teshigahara with demonstration programs in San Francisco. Ron now teaches privately in Sonoma and Mendocino counties and since Mr. Kobayashi's retirement, he now studies with Kimi Kika Shibata.

For 35 years Ron was a professional winemaker in Sonoma and Napa Valleys. Often his ikebana is shown in weathered objects retrieved from the vineyards. He is an active demonstrator for Ikebana International, chaired an outdoor workshop at the 2008 North American Regional Conference, is a deputy director of the Sogetsu Bay Area Branch and chaired its ArtScape 2008 exhibition, and was a featured demonstrator at the 2007 Ikebana International Flower Show in San Francisco.