Ralph DiMarco
Landscapes
“My desire to paint landscapes is rooted in my childhood growing up on my grandfather’s farm in Southern Italy. I recall having a strong sense of place, a feeling of being enfolded by the surrounding fields, hills and mountains. The landscape was a part of everyday life, some of it shaped by human hands, some by natural forces, which together created something that felt both mysterious and familiar. That’s the inspiration I look for in the locations I paint, a sense of belonging,
of discovery, of comfort. My goal is to transfer that feeling to canvas through brush strokes, colors and compositions; which is why this quote has a special resonance:
“When you are painting a landscape, assume the painting is real
and the landscape is an illusion.” ~Walter Darby Bannard
My current body of work is more realistic, with more attention to detail and execution than in the past. Although I enjoyed the looser, almost abstract style of past paintings, this more challenging approach is an attempt to continue gaining better mastery of my craft and add a new layer of interest and mystery to my pieces. “
RALPH DIMARCO
A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Ralph has been an illustrator and designer for over 35 years. He began his career in the stationery industry, at the same time as the advent of desktop publisning, and used his affinity for the technology to fulfill various positions that stradled creative and technical skills. Currently, Ralph’s day job includes managing software development within a global organization.
Ralph began painting in 2006 as a diversion from his daily routine and as a way to focus his creative energy. Since then, he has continued to hone his craft through practice and experimentation. His paintings are mostly snapshots of the places he has visited and are often based on plein-air sketches, photos or memories. Working mostly in oils, Ralph is also open to new mediums, and continues to experiments with watercolors, paper litho, resin, encaustic and, recently, alcohol inks.
As a former Connecticut resident, Ralph exhibited in various venues and events in Fairfield County: the Ridgefield Guild of Artists, the Westport Arts Festival, the Darien Art Show, the Mayor’s Gallery and the Maritime Gallery. Ralph was one of the founding members of the St. Philip Artists’ Guild (SPAG), where the artists fully renovated a 100-year-old mansion in exchange for studio and exhibition space.
Ralph’s affinity for landscape painting comes from his childhood growing up in Italy, first on his Grandfather’s farm in Southern Italy, then in Tuscany; the natural landscape has always had a special focus in those memories.
