Ralph Martin: About the Artist and his Work

Ralph Martin is a life long artist and photographer with a vivid, unusual imagination and an inquiring mind. In more than 30 years of imaging, Ralph has explored a wide thematic spectrum. His work has received critical acclaim and is held in private collections across North America, in South America and the United Kingdom. The source of Ralph’s creativity is found in his intuitive approach to capturing and processing images.  He has an artist’s appreciation of distracting content, unusual structure, form, colour and contrast. His work leads our imagination beyond what is seen into what is felt and what is desired.

For Ralph, photography is about applying his imagination to images through effective technique in the light room. For every hour he spends collecting images, he spends another 9 processing and editing them in his virtual light room. Ralph does not imagine or process any two images in precisely the same manner.

The creative application of technique is part of the journey. Each image reveals its own truth to the viewer’s eye with no observer left unchallenged.  The artist’s intent and technique become clearer and grow richer upon further study. Every motive, insight or point of reference revealed in his work begs further investigation.

His favourite images are both fun and introspective. Ralph’s purpose is not comic relief. It is to release the viewer’s smile by exposing the subtle nuance of the complex manner in which the commonplace is revealed to be special: the unusual acting as foil instead of punch line to the commonplace.

He believes strongly that neither he, nor the appreciating viewer ever arrives at a final destination with a finished image. Further, he believes that his images will have finished evolving only when they have been forgotten for the last time. No fixed contextual requirements are established for the viewer, except that they keep looking. Repeated viewing leads to further appreciation of the composite, often antagonistic; and occasionally complementary themes present in his images.

In the past 20 months, Ralph’s search for new material has taken him on a journey across North America and to the United Kingdom.  He has worked on a wide variety of projects and has completed several that have been shown in numerous gallery shows both in Toronto, Canada and on the world wide web. His work has been published in both national and international magazines.

Ralph has always credited his views on structure and the use of light to his earliest mentor, Lawrence Cybulski. The effects of colour, tone, contrast, texture and especially motion are used in much of Ralph’s work. His vision and “not quite what you expected” subject matter are the beneficiaries of his application of technique. The intellectual and emotional punch delivered by his images also derives its force from the quality of his subject matter.

The artist is available to speak about his work and to discuss creative ideas. He says he is prepared to take on commissions for specific projects as time allows. Ralph can be reached at ralph@ralphmartinphotography.com. Please feel free to drop him a line.

Images in this online gallery are formatted for the most familiar of sizes, but in particular 11” x 14” (approx. 18cm x 23cm) or 20” x 24” (approx. 32cm x 39 cm). Various other sizes of these images are available if desired though larger sizes may be limited by the artist’s preferences. Feel free to contact Ralph directly at the address noted above to discuss visiting his light room to view specific images in printed format or just for a cup of coffee and a chat.