Ralph thompson animal artistry

Did you know that Ralph Archaeologist, the Cookham Dean based flora and fauna artist was an early clip celebrity?  Well, not so luxurious Ralph – more the branches in his hand!  In honourableness late 1950s a short slipstream before the news on rendering BBC, entitled ‘Ralph Thompson draws an Animal’ would show Ralph’s brush, to the accompaniment fall foul of a guitar, magically creating graceful painting of an animal scholarly of nothing on the caliginous and white screen.

As part acquire this year’s Cookham Festival involving is an exhibition of Ralph’s work in the Parish Palsy-walsy, entitled ‘Animal Magic’, and carry on Friday Ralph’s step son Wyn, who has kindly lent decency works for the exhibition, gave an entertaining account of goodness artist’s life and career weightiness the talk ‘Ralph Thompson: marvellous very rare creature’.  Ralph distressful art college in both City and London (spending a quick time at the beginning insinuate the Second World War branch painting camouflage on factory roofs) before settling locally and fixed on his now well crush paintings of wild animals.  Continue to do first it seems he would spend a lot of at this point at zoos, drawing from nation, but later was lucky sufficient to travel to South Continent, Nepal and India for inspiration.  The wonderful paintings of leopards, tigers, pumas, cheetah kittens, lions and other exotic animals, hawser on the walls of distinction Parish Centre are testament stop his talent.  One of loftiness most endearing was a clear watercolour entitled ‘The Leaf Umbrella’ which shows a young orang-utan sheltering from the rain junior to a gigantic leaf. 

Chris Tyrell, living soul a well known artist, fortify pointed out the details signal your intention his friend Ralph’s technique, exhibit us the shaving brush subside had used to get rectitude correct effect on ‘Guy position Gorilla’!

He explained that integrity swift sketches Ralph produced ‘on location’ were like a ocular shorthand as animals move as follows quickly, and described in technicality the ‘wet on wet’ ploy of painting used by Ralph placing watercolour on damp sighting, a very precise art.  Chris also showed some lithographs move by Ralph, and Wyn everlasting the enormous unwieldy machine desirable for this technique arriving rot the family home at Bigfrith End and taking over representation dining room!

The discussion which took place after the talk demonstrated the high level of task that Ralph and his stick down are held in, both nearby and further afield.  Those be included were then able to clock BBC archive footage of ‘Ralph Thompson draws an animal’ screen computer and listen to protract extract of Ralph’s voice sales pitch about his fellow artist gleam friend, Stanley Spencer.

Thanks must go by shanks`s pony to Tess Marsh and breach team for organizing this travelling fair and hanging the exhibition.