The Water Ballet
120 H x 80 W cm
Giclee Print on Museum Quality Archival Paper
Limited Edition 1/5
Speak with Ralph About the Artwork
The Story Behind the Artwork
Sometimes the most surprising part of creating an artwork comes after I’ve returned from the water. When I look through the reflections I’ve gathered, I often turn an image on the screen, just to see what happens. I might look at it upside down, or imagine I’m standing above the water, looking directly into it. Occasionally that change of viewpoint gives away the source of the reflection. But I’m usually far more interested in what it allows me to imagine. The Water Ballet arrived through just such an experiment. As I rotated the image, I stopped partway through. Suddenly, everything changed. Against a wonderful expanse of blue, a row of golden forms seemed to become performers. They might have been dancers, balancing figures, or a company moving across a narrow stage. The pale, wavering lines beneath them looked almost like a tightrope, or the elaborate set of an imaginary theatre. I had one of those lovely moments of recognition when an entirely new world seems to open up in front of you. Nothing had changed in the water. Only the way I was looking at it. I’m not going to reveal what made the original reflection. To do so would be like watching a magician explain the trick just as the audience begins to applaud. I’d much rather leave that small mystery alive and allow you to discover your own performance in the work. I give you The Water Ballet. Act One.
PAYMENT OPTIONS
Secure payment
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Direct Bank Transfer
Select Direct Bank Transfer at checkout and place your order before making a payment. Use your Shopify order number as the transfer reference. Your artwork will be prepared after the funds have cleared.
Account name: Ralph Murray Kerle
Bank: Macquarie Bank Limited
BSB: 182-182
Account number: 011009503
For transfers from overseas, ask your bank to send Australian dollars (AUD). SWIFT/BIC: MACQAU2S. Bank address: 50 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia. Your bank may charge transfer or currency conversion fees.
Personal payment arrangements
If you would like to discuss payment arrangements before purchasing, please contact Ralph directly at rk@ralphkerlesart.com.
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What Collectors Say
“It fits the space perfectly and I am ecstatic with the outcome.”
Saskia Waters
“Ralph was so helpful and there were no issues.”
Rosie Houghton
About Ralph Kerle
Ralph Kerle is an award-winning Australian artist whose work explores the abstract visual world created by reflections on water.
His artworks have been exhibited internationally and acquired by collectors in Australia and overseas. His practice has developed through more than a decade of working directly on waterways, photographing fleeting compositions formed by light, architecture, landscape and movement.
Read the Artist BioInternational Exhibitions
Ralph Kerle’s work has been exhibited in Australia, Europe and the United States, including:
- The Indeterminate Sublime — Rothko Museum, Daugavpils, Latvia
- The Water Spirits of Aveiro — Galeria Edificio Antiga Capitania, Aveiro, Portugal
- The Indeterminate Sublime — Kalve Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Drawings on Water — Art Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
- Drawings on Water — Espaço Espelho d'Água Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal
- Drawings on Water Series 2 — Sagra Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
- Group Exhibition — WelcomeToArt Gallery, Embaixada, Príncipe Real, Lisbon, Portugal
- 42 Contemporary Artists — Berlin Art Week, Germany
- The Art of Navy — Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney
Prizes
- Winner — Willoughby Council 150th Anniversary Celebration Art Prize
- Longlisted — Booooooom Photo Awards, Vancouver, Canada
Making the Artwork
Ralph Kerle creates his abstract artworks from real reflections found on the surface of water. Working from a kayak at water level, he photographs the constantly changing interaction of light, colour, movement and reflected forms.
The compositions are discovered rather than constructed. There is no compositing of separate images: the abstraction exists momentarily on the surface of the water and is captured through timing, position and movement.
This process has developed into a distinctive body of work in which the camera becomes less a documentary instrument and more a way of painting with reflected light.
Artwork Details
- Title
- The Water Ballet
- Dimensions
- 120 H x 80 W cm
- Print medium & paper
- Giclee Print on Museum Quality Archival Paper
- Edition
- Limited edition of 5
- Collection
- Paintings on Water
- Colour mood
- Cool
- Authenticity
- Signed and supplied with a Certificate of Authenticity
Acquiring the Artwork
Each artwork is prepared individually for its collector and securely packed for transit. Australian and international delivery is available, with specialist handling and insurance appropriate to the artwork and destination.
Unsure about scale, placement, framing or delivery?
Speak directly with Ralph before acquiring the artwork.
EDITION PRICING
Limited Edition
The Water Ballet is released as a limited edition artwork. Editions are made available progressively, with later editions offered at higher prices as the edition advances.
