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In the mid 80's Ralph began a series of illustrations on subjects that inspired him. These were made into books for his children and grandchildren. Extracts from three of these are shown here.
In Spirit of the Woodland his pictures show his love of trees whereas in Village Skies he refers to the many writers, poets and musicians who have described the beauty of the sky and its infinite variety of shapes and colours.
Spirit of the Woodland was inspired by W H Hudson's book Green Mansions and by his daily, peaceful walks in the small wooded glen near his home which he called his village cathedral.
The book takes the form of abstract collages using cut and torn papers, acrylic paint and pen and ink.
When speaking about abstraction he asks us to abandon conventional understanding saying that feeling is the important factor.
Village Skies is a collection of paintings in praise of the ever-changing weather of Western Scotland. They depict the billowing clouds, the passing showers and rays of sunlight reflected on the landscape.
Many of the paintings and their titles were inspired by poets and writers such as Yeats, Wordsworth and Tagore as well as Shakespeare and the Bible.
He Covereth the Heavens with Clouds
When I Consider the Heavens
The Rainbow Comes and Goes
Hey-Ho the Wind and the Rain
Clouds of Knowing and Unknowing
And Beauty Came Like the Setting Sun
We Gaze and also Learn to Love
And the Sun Goeth Down
The poem Tyger by William Blake was a favourite poem of Ralph's wife Nita and this book of six illustrations and text was an anniversary gift for her.
