The Art Journal
Towards Stillness
The all encompassing environment of nature moves one towards stillness and inner peace. I have deliberately obscured the location as I wanted the film to create a sense of the universality of nature. This scene could be anywhere. I used no edits. I just allowed each clip to flow into the next to create a sense of the atmosphere on the journey.
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The Stairway to Heaven
In 2020, I was fortunate enough to capture a couple of fur seals romancing on the steps of a rarely used wharf at Chowder Bay Sydney. Harbour. I called the shot - The Stairway to Heaven. One year later, Chowder BaBy! The Chowder Bay fur seal family sun themselves on the steps of their Sydney waterfront home with their new 6 month old offspring as I kayaked past on the weekend.
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Mesmerism
Mesmerism is a short film capturing a moment in kayaking when suddenly I am breathtakingly embraced in a way only nature in its epicness can. Scott’s Creek entrance from Middle Harbour, Sydney is disguised and not easily found. Yet every time I enter this place - the silence, gentleness of the flow of the water, the light filtering through the trees - creates a sense of entering an ancient place that can only be described as mesmeric. Mesmerism has been defined as a strong or spellbinding appeal; fascination - an hypnotic induction believed to involve animal magnetism. That is exactly what I experience in this world!.
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Brush Strokes from Nature 1
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2500"] Brush Strokes from Nature 1 [/caption] I love it when I am so surprised by a shot I can't wait to share it!! Brush Strokes from Nature 1 is one of those shots. I had been kayaking in the Clontarf Marina location for weeks because I felt it might offer something. Previous shots in that location hadn't produced anything. And then suddenly this! It pays to persevere and follow your hunch. The colour palette and pattern and the way these elements coalesced on top of the water could only have been created by Nature. The content is made up of various paraphernalia sitting on the Clontarf Marina - the yellow reflection is part of a garbage bin.
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The Making of Stay Calm
I am intrigued by the names of the vessels I kayak past and their reflections. Who gave them their name? Why did they choose the name? What is the back story? What does the name mean to the owner? The artwork I make out of the photos of the vessel's name is disconnected from those questions. Yet the words on the water convey a visual and literal meaning that stands alone. "Stay Calm" captured the current moment for me civilization finds itself in resulting from the pandemic. Perhaps we could say up the creek without a paddle.
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Australian Photography Magazine May 2021 Features Ralph Kerle
MIke O’Connor, Editor, Australian Photography Magazine, went on a very early morning journey with me to experience my creative practice firsthand. The conversation that evolved whilst we were kayaking in Middle Harbour, Sydney, Australia enabled me to expand on the philosophy behind my artwork and how that informs my artmaking. Mike did a superb job synthesizing these two elements into an article “A Sea of Images.” A proper critique of your work is a must for every artist. It opens the door for reflection and to new thinking on how to develop and innovate within your skillset. Read the outcome of the journey and conversation in full!
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The Museum of Modern Art, New York and Me
Sometimes social media surfaces gold. I wanted feedback on a new online gallery software platform I have been showcased coming out of Germany. I wasn't certain whether I liked it and how viewers on social media might. So I asked the question on LInkedin. Wow - the second comment I received came from the Museum Educator at MOMA, New York. Yep that is correct the Museum of Modern Art, New York and here is what she said.. "Your artwork is gorgeous, intriguing with you providing a healthy and engaging background for the inspiration of your pieces. As I delved into this digital exhibition, I was most intrigued with the platform. A unique software, indeed. But tickling, kneeding at my curiosity, especially as an artist, was how does this compare to the actual works. I was prompted to explore you more thoroughly online. And, oh my!...I was far, far more impressed with your art on your Facebook page featuring your short video displaying works in home settings. It provided a far more authentic view of the depths, size and energy of your work. In that digital exhibition space, the full depth of your artistry is lost serving as a disservice if first seen/only viewed in that space. I believe something is lost in the digitizing of your work in that digitized background. I am far more impressed with visual presentations in your short film. And please know, I am very aware of the art world's current journey to create exhibition software reflective of that physical experience. All in our industry are finding our way as we shift digitally. I love your work, your inspiration and the storytelling behind your pieces." Geez, you should have seen the smile emerging and pealing across my face as I read this. Here you can view the on-line gallery created by Kunstmatrix
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The Story of the Gold in the Desert Collection
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2500"] Pollock’s Desert Ebru [/caption] This exhibition is the result of journeys I made to the UAE between 2015 and 2019 to explore the fluid edges of Dubai, a city built from oil and awash with gold, perched ostentatiously on the edge of a sun scorched desert and the Arabian gulf. Dubai was atransit stop on my travels to create exhibitions in Latvia and Portugal but it seemed only natural that manmade waterways in this bold city should eventually capture my attention. My first impressions of Dubai were that of a carefully controlled culture that is unavailable to most outsiders, a place where luxury shopping and amusement parks seem to be its sole raison d'être. The city/state, its history mostly hidden by the brash high-rise buildings,reminded me of a hyperrealist canvas, a mid 20th Century art form born with photorealism as its main influence (think work of American painters Chuck Close and Richard Estes). One evening as I pondered whether I might not actually find the underlying visual aesthetic of this city, I stopped at the Al Rahmin Mosque situated on the banks of the Dubai Marina. As I peered through the windows a young man interrupted my thoughts, tapping me on theshoulder and inviting me to in join him at prayers; he instructed me in the ablution rituals required to enter the Mosque and guided me in the kneeling and mediation process as theprayers proceeded. Slowly the cultural sentience of the Middle East began to embrace me. A visit to the old port city of Deira and the extraordinary Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation revealed a history of an ancient visual culture built on decorative arts that avoided the presentation of living things, instead giving prominence to the work of artisans;the architects, glassmakers, mosaicists, weavers, wood and metal workers that transformed their decorative pursuits into major artworks in their own right. During this visit, I also learnt of the decorative art of Ebru (paper marbling), the process of adding colours tothe surface tension of water, and then capturing those colours with a sheet of parchment to create unique, often unexpected patterns. I began to realise that this culture was well versed in the value of decorative art... and the abstract. Late that afternoon as I wandered back to the hotel I saw Dubai’s skyline awash with golden light while below me a gentle breeze on the waters of the Dubai Marina transformed the view into a mesmerising kaleidoscope of random patterns. I hired a small boat with a skipper and got on with my own process of capturing colours from water. I offer this new collection and the artworks, reflections created by nature on the surface of the water in Dubai, as my interpretation and as an entree to the wonderful world of Middle Eastern decorative art.
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The Future of Brightness
The Future of Brightness connects with everything I perceive uniquely Australian in my cultural subconscious. The artwork suggests the rich ochres on which our ancient land is built and from which the culture of our indigenous peoples created their dreamtime stories. It pushes into the vast unknowable horizons we live with on a daily basis. The inspiration for the creation of this artwork came from a series of works by Australian artist Tim Storrier in the 1980s and 1990s entitled ‘the Fire Lines” and “the Blaze Lines”. Storrier grew up in the Australian countryside fascinated by the colour and light of the vast horizons, the sunsets and the bushfires he experienced in this environment. To help him vision the artwork he wanted to create, he photographed using an old Box Brownie a line of burning kerosene on the ground. The kerosene was unreliable and whilst experimenting with other flammable material discovered burning boat lacquer produced the best photographic representation of fire. Hence an unintended connection between The Future of Brightness and the influence of Storrier’s work is the way the boat lacquer, either on fire on the ground in Storrier’s case or coated on the hull of yacht with strong sunlight shining on it in my work, facilitates unique visions of the Australian outback. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1500"] The Future of Brightness 106 x 160cm Fine Art Print on museum quality archival paper [/caption] An insightful story Storrier tells is of a meeting in the 1980s in Melbourne with a 92 year old gentleman who had travelled by steamer from Sydney to Melbourne. After seeing Storrier’s work, he remarked on how it reminded him of the lines of fire created by the Aboriginal peoples of southern New South Wales observable from the deck of the vessel at sea. The more I worked on the Future of Brightness, the more I felt confident I had created an artwork that distilled an imaginary vision of the Australian outback, its natural vagaries and its aesthetic beauty consistent with the current climate conditions. The irony of the title Future of Brightness is intended. Read it how you like!!. View available editions, sizes, prices and to purchase the Future of Brightness
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Ralph Kerle Gallery partners with Art Money - the Afterpay of the art market
Ralph Kerle Gallery is delighted to have been accepted as a partner in Art Money, a relatively new yet quickly expanding art global fin-tech based on a business model similar to Afterpay and other more traditional “buy now, pay later” fin-tech operations. Art Money was founded in 2015 by Australian entrepreneur Paul Becker in 2015, an old boy of my own alma mater, and has already partnered with over 1,000 galleries worldwide, growing daily, currently enabling art buyers from Australia, the U.S. and New Zealand. The entry price point for collectible artworks often precludes potential buyers from purchasing an artwork they like just at the right moment whether on exhibition in a gallery or for sale in an on-line gallery. The purpose of Art Money is to make the purchase accessible by offering 10 interest free part payments over 10 months. Art Money sees their external mission as empowering people to buy art and supporting artists in developing a sustainable creative economy. All artwork offered by Ralph Kerle Gallery can now be purchased through Art Money. Read here in more detail how Art Money works and its terms and conditions.
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Introducing Indra Wills, Gallery Manager, Ralph Kerle Gallery
My new Gallery Manager, Indra Wills is a graduate of the National Art School, Sydney, majoring in ceramics, and has been accepted into the University of Sydney to do a Masters in Art Curation. I’m delighted to be working with her. Oh! She had a day off yesterday to continue development of her skills in a domain she has also been operating in for some time. She was disappointed as she only reached 250kph in practice!
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Ralph Kerle Gallery Opens
My name is Indra Wills, the newly appointed Gallery Manager of the Ralph Kerle Gallery, Double Bay, Sydney. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself, to share some of the evening’s experiences, and to write about future plans designed for the new gallery.Our wonderful opening event took place on December 10, launching Ralph Kerle’s Gallery announcing our ongoing funding and awareness raising association with the Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation. We would like to thank all those who attended and made the night a great success. A special thank you to our friend Susan Bruce, Owner of Poachers Pantry and Poachers Winery, who kept our glasses full with delicious red, white and sparkling! [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2500"] Stays Afloat [/caption] On the night, we were joined by guest speakers Linda Fagan, CEO of the Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation and Dr Con Petsoglou, one of Sydney’s leading eye surgeons who counts Ralph among his patients. Linda outlined the foundation’s role in raising funds, and Dr Petsoglou spoke about how our sight translates images back to our brain, acting as our first perspective on the world. In his explanation, we learnt that Ralph’s eye condition, keratoconus, means that his visual world is fringed by small halos around the edges of objects, pictures and indeed reflections as opposed to the straight lines or “straightness”of those with normal sight. Dr Petsolglou highlighted the curved, and wavy illustrative qualities of artworks; ‘Stays Afloat’ and ‘Captain C Gull on the Helm – the Epic View’ as being representative of the sight a person suffering keratoconus has. In response, Ralph talked of his philosophy, practise and the perceptions associated with his artwork. He is currently working on an article detailing these themes, which will be available to enjoy in the new year. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2271"] Captain C. Gull On the Watch - The Epic View [/caption] The presentations evoked such a high level of thought-provoking conversations among guests during the evening that Dr Petsoglou and Ralph have agreed to work on a series of videos around the theme of the science of sight and how art informs its development.
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