Biography
Ralph Wiegmann, a first generation American-German, was born and raised in the mid-west. Many summers were spent with his family in the Rocky Mountain West. As a teenager, he studied violin, painting, drawing and ceramics at Interlochen Arts Academy.
Ralph studied Graphic Design at Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and then moved into Fine Art at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, where he received his BFA in Painting & Drawing. After working several years in illustration, graphic design and set building in San Francisco, Ralph moved to Missoula, Montana to pursue his passion for painting. He received his MFA in Painting from the University of Montana in 1998. Ralph's abstract paintings are distinctly influenced by the open landscape of the American West. He lives in Bozeman, Montana with his wife, artist Suzanne Truman.
Artist Statement
The inspiration for this body of work began with two separate trips. The first was canoeing the Judith River all the way into the Missouri River, near Lewistown Montana. Hiking up from the Judith River bottom, in its steep narrow canyon, onto the wide-open toplands, I was struck by the sudden and dramatic shift - the expanse of patterned landscape and immense complex sky.
The second trip followed shortly thereafter - a roadtrip almost entirely on backroads from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Steamboat Springs, Colorado; through Jackson Hole, Wyoming; then home to Bozeman, Montana through the Grande Tetons. Again, I was moved by the variety of patterns and shapes of colors formed in the vast landscape. The impact of those wide open spaces and the striated patterns, colors and textures, compelled me to further explore my relationship to the open landscape through abstractions in oil painting.
Resume
EDUCATION
1998 MFA Painting, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
1987 BFA Drawing & Printmaking, Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA
1983-84 Drawing/Illustration, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Milwaukee, WI
1974-77 Painting/Drawing/Ceramics/Violin, Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, MI
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2010 Holter Museum, Invitational: Double Vision, Helena, MT (pending: 5/1 - 6/30)
2009 Cerulean Gallery, main floor w/Suzanne Truman, Dallas, TX
Missoula Art Museum, juried ''Montana Contemporary Triennial'', Missoula, MT
2004-09 Kebanu Gallery, gallery representation until gallery closed 2/1/09, Bend, OR
2008 Kebanu Gallery, summer two person show, Bend, OR
Deweese Gallery, two person show, Bozeman, MT
Missoula Art Museum, juried contemporary art auction, Missoula, MT
2007 Kebanu Gallery, group exhibitions, Bend, OR
Missoula Art Museum, juried contemporary art auction, Missoula, MT
Ecce Gallery, The Emerson Cultural Center, solo show, Bozeman, MT
Nicolaysen Art Museum, ''Wild Wild West'', small works, Casper, WY
2006 Kebanu Gallery, group exhibitions, Bend, OR
Danforth Gallery, fall show, Livingston, MT
Danforth Gallery, Christmas show, Livingston, MT
Gallatin River Gallery, group shows, Big Sky, MT
ShackUp Design, group show, Bozeman, MT
Ecce Gallery @ The Emerson Cultural Center, solo show, Bozeman, MT
''Wild Wild West'', small works, Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, WY
2005 Bealle Park Art Center, ''Contemporary interpretations from the Lewis & Clark Trail'', Bozeman, MT
Gallatin River Gallery, group shows, Big Sky, MT
Nicolaysen Art Museum, ''Mountains-Plains'' art auction, Casper, WY
''Wild Wild West'', small works, Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, WY
2004 ''Earth and Sky'', Gallatin River Gallery, Big Sky, MT
Kebanu Gallery, solo show, Bend, OR
Brian Marki Gallery, group exhibitions, Portland, OR
''Large Works'' Comma-Q Architecture/ShackUp Design, Bozeman, MT
Missoula Art Museum, juried contemporary art auction, Missoula, MT
Mountain West Contemporary, juried art auction, MSU - Bozeman, MT
2003 Artworks Gallery, solo show, Bozeman, MT
Stellers Gallery, group exhibitions, Jacksonville, FL
35th Annual Art Auction, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT
Missoula Art Museum, juried contemporary art auction, Missoula, MT
Mountain West Contemporary, juried art auction, MSU - Bozeman, MT
2001-02 Ochi Gallery, gallery representation, Ketchum, ID
2001 Emerson Cultural Center, solo exhibition of large works, Bozeman, MT
Yellowstone Art Museum, small works auction, Billings, MT
Savant Claire Gallery, group shows, Bozeman, MT
2000 Hockaday Art Museum, two-person show w/Jay Rummell, Kalispell, MT
Cordell Taylor Gallery, ''Rewind 99'', Salt Lake City, UT
Affinity Fine Art, contemporary Montana Artists, Palm Springs, CA
Weber State University, ''Drawing Now'', Ogden, UT
University of Montana-Western, faculty show, Dillon, MT
Sweet Pea Festival juried Art Show, honorable mention, Jessica Hunter juror,
Bozeman, MT
University of Montana Art Museum, ''40 Freedoms'', juried, Missoula, MT
1999 Cordell Taylor Gallery, solo exhibition, Salt Lake City, UT
Western New Mexico University, faculty exchange exhibition, Silver City, NM
Paris Gibson Art Museum, ''Art Equinox'', juried/regional, Great Falls, MT
1998 University Center Gallery, ''Language of Ecofeminism'', Missoula, MT
Brunswick Studios, 25th Annual Christmas Show, Missoula, MT
Bealle Park Art Center, juried exhibition, Bozeman, MT
Gallery of Visual Art, MFA Thesis Exhibition, UM - Missoula, MT
1997 Sutton West Gallery, two-person show, Missoula, MT
Gallery of Visual Art, juried student exhibition, UM-Missoula, MT
1995 Kevin Berry Fine Art, group exhibition, Santa Rosa, CA
1993 Souder Gallery, solo show, Burlingame, CA
COLLECTIONS
University of Montana, Permanent Collection, Missoula, MT
University of Montana, ceiling mural, Strand Union Bldg, Missoula, MT
KidRobot
David Quammen, author, Bozeman, MT
Dr. David Sands, Bozeman, MT
TEACHING
2010 Adjunct Instructor: Representational Drawing, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
2010 Instructor: private lessons - Violin; Drawing & Painting, Bozeman, MT
2003-06 Instructor: private painting/drawing lessons, including w/Michael Blessing, Bozeman, MT
2000-02 Instructor: Life Drawing, Bealle Park Art Center, Bozeman, MT
2000 Adjunct Instructor: Watercolor, University of Montana-Western, Dillon, MT
1999 Workshop - Dry Point Printmaking, University of Montana-Western, Dillon, MT
Mural Project: Flathead Indian Reservation/St. Ignatius High, St. Ignatius, MT
1998-99 Guest Instructor: ceramics wheel workshop, St. Ignatius High, St. Ignatius, MT
1996-98 Teaching Assistant: Drawing 123, University of Montana, instructor of record,
Missoula, MT
1986-87 Teaching Assistant: Printmaking, Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA
Ralph Wiegmann, a first generation American-German, was born and raised in the mid-west. Many summers were spent with his family in the Rocky Mountain West. As a teenager, he studied violin, painting, drawing and ceramics at Interlochen Arts Academy.
Ralph studied Graphic Design at Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and then moved into Fine Art at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, where he received his BFA in Painting & Drawing. After working several years in illustration, graphic design and set building in San Francisco, Ralph moved to Missoula, Montana to pursue his passion for painting. He received his MFA in Painting from the University of Montana in 1998. Ralph's abstract paintings are distinctly influenced by the open landscape of the American West. He lives in Bozeman, Montana with his wife, artist Suzanne Truman.
Artist Statement
The inspiration for this body of work began with two separate trips. The first was canoeing the Judith River all the way into the Missouri River, near Lewistown Montana. Hiking up from the Judith River bottom, in its steep narrow canyon, onto the wide-open toplands, I was struck by the sudden and dramatic shift - the expanse of patterned landscape and immense complex sky.
The second trip followed shortly thereafter - a roadtrip almost entirely on backroads from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Steamboat Springs, Colorado; through Jackson Hole, Wyoming; then home to Bozeman, Montana through the Grande Tetons. Again, I was moved by the variety of patterns and shapes of colors formed in the vast landscape. The impact of those wide open spaces and the striated patterns, colors and textures, compelled me to further explore my relationship to the open landscape through abstractions in oil painting.
Resume
EDUCATION
1998 MFA Painting, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
1987 BFA Drawing & Printmaking, Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA
1983-84 Drawing/Illustration, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Milwaukee, WI
1974-77 Painting/Drawing/Ceramics/Violin, Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, MI
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2010 Holter Museum, Invitational: Double Vision, Helena, MT (pending: 5/1 - 6/30)
2009 Cerulean Gallery, main floor w/Suzanne Truman, Dallas, TX
Missoula Art Museum, juried ''Montana Contemporary Triennial'', Missoula, MT
2004-09 Kebanu Gallery, gallery representation until gallery closed 2/1/09, Bend, OR
2008 Kebanu Gallery, summer two person show, Bend, OR
Deweese Gallery, two person show, Bozeman, MT
Missoula Art Museum, juried contemporary art auction, Missoula, MT
2007 Kebanu Gallery, group exhibitions, Bend, OR
Missoula Art Museum, juried contemporary art auction, Missoula, MT
Ecce Gallery, The Emerson Cultural Center, solo show, Bozeman, MT
Nicolaysen Art Museum, ''Wild Wild West'', small works, Casper, WY
2006 Kebanu Gallery, group exhibitions, Bend, OR
Danforth Gallery, fall show, Livingston, MT
Danforth Gallery, Christmas show, Livingston, MT
Gallatin River Gallery, group shows, Big Sky, MT
ShackUp Design, group show, Bozeman, MT
Ecce Gallery @ The Emerson Cultural Center, solo show, Bozeman, MT
''Wild Wild West'', small works, Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, WY
2005 Bealle Park Art Center, ''Contemporary interpretations from the Lewis & Clark Trail'', Bozeman, MT
Gallatin River Gallery, group shows, Big Sky, MT
Nicolaysen Art Museum, ''Mountains-Plains'' art auction, Casper, WY
''Wild Wild West'', small works, Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, WY
2004 ''Earth and Sky'', Gallatin River Gallery, Big Sky, MT
Kebanu Gallery, solo show, Bend, OR
Brian Marki Gallery, group exhibitions, Portland, OR
''Large Works'' Comma-Q Architecture/ShackUp Design, Bozeman, MT
Missoula Art Museum, juried contemporary art auction, Missoula, MT
Mountain West Contemporary, juried art auction, MSU - Bozeman, MT
2003 Artworks Gallery, solo show, Bozeman, MT
Stellers Gallery, group exhibitions, Jacksonville, FL
35th Annual Art Auction, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT
Missoula Art Museum, juried contemporary art auction, Missoula, MT
Mountain West Contemporary, juried art auction, MSU - Bozeman, MT
2001-02 Ochi Gallery, gallery representation, Ketchum, ID
2001 Emerson Cultural Center, solo exhibition of large works, Bozeman, MT
Yellowstone Art Museum, small works auction, Billings, MT
Savant Claire Gallery, group shows, Bozeman, MT
2000 Hockaday Art Museum, two-person show w/Jay Rummell, Kalispell, MT
Cordell Taylor Gallery, ''Rewind 99'', Salt Lake City, UT
Affinity Fine Art, contemporary Montana Artists, Palm Springs, CA
Weber State University, ''Drawing Now'', Ogden, UT
University of Montana-Western, faculty show, Dillon, MT
Sweet Pea Festival juried Art Show, honorable mention, Jessica Hunter juror,
Bozeman, MT
University of Montana Art Museum, ''40 Freedoms'', juried, Missoula, MT
1999 Cordell Taylor Gallery, solo exhibition, Salt Lake City, UT
Western New Mexico University, faculty exchange exhibition, Silver City, NM
Paris Gibson Art Museum, ''Art Equinox'', juried/regional, Great Falls, MT
1998 University Center Gallery, ''Language of Ecofeminism'', Missoula, MT
Brunswick Studios, 25th Annual Christmas Show, Missoula, MT
Bealle Park Art Center, juried exhibition, Bozeman, MT
Gallery of Visual Art, MFA Thesis Exhibition, UM - Missoula, MT
1997 Sutton West Gallery, two-person show, Missoula, MT
Gallery of Visual Art, juried student exhibition, UM-Missoula, MT
1995 Kevin Berry Fine Art, group exhibition, Santa Rosa, CA
1993 Souder Gallery, solo show, Burlingame, CA
COLLECTIONS
University of Montana, Permanent Collection, Missoula, MT
University of Montana, ceiling mural, Strand Union Bldg, Missoula, MT
KidRobot
David Quammen, author, Bozeman, MT
Dr. David Sands, Bozeman, MT
TEACHING
2010 Adjunct Instructor: Representational Drawing, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
2010 Instructor: private lessons - Violin; Drawing & Painting, Bozeman, MT
2003-06 Instructor: private painting/drawing lessons, including w/Michael Blessing, Bozeman, MT
2000-02 Instructor: Life Drawing, Bealle Park Art Center, Bozeman, MT
2000 Adjunct Instructor: Watercolor, University of Montana-Western, Dillon, MT
1999 Workshop - Dry Point Printmaking, University of Montana-Western, Dillon, MT
Mural Project: Flathead Indian Reservation/St. Ignatius High, St. Ignatius, MT
1998-99 Guest Instructor: ceramics wheel workshop, St. Ignatius High, St. Ignatius, MT
1996-98 Teaching Assistant: Drawing 123, University of Montana, instructor of record,
Missoula, MT
1986-87 Teaching Assistant: Printmaking, Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA