Ralf Wall is an artist who specializes in mural painting and watercolours. He is a welcome new addition to the 2011 Central Art Walk.

I begin my paintings or sketches by going out into the field: a walk in the woods, down by the lake or river. I find a spot that seems to call out to me and I sit or stand for several minutes, as the geography allows, and absorb the energy around me. I want to capture the feeling of being in that exact spot, not necessarily the details of the physical, but more the emotional. I look at the colours, the play of shadow and light, and then I compose my image.

My watercolour sketches are quick and I try to work fast so that I maintain the same emotion throughout. My ink sketches are also quickly drawn so that I can allow for some chaotic freedom of my tools. Nature is not precise and I try to be loose with my imagery while still maintaining a sense of realism.

I deem a painting or drawing to be good when it either looks on canvas just as I envisioned it in my mind, or probably more importantly, I get an emotional response when someone sees it for the first time. Nothing is more satisfying as an artist when I get shushed because someone is staring deeply into my work.

My artwork is continually evolving as I try to release myself from the restraints of “what I think I should do” versus the freedom of my creative intuition. It is a fantastic journey that gets more exciting with every bend in the road.

Raflar the Wanderer
Green Griffin Studio
http://www.raflar.com
email: info@raflar.com