Check Out Ralph Oberg’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ralph Oberg.

Hi Ralph, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I was raised in Aurora since 1954, at age 4. I have always lived in the Rocky Mountains; hunting, fishing, hiking, trekking, and climbing. I was aways encouraged in my art, and always followed that dream. I had 2 years at CSU, getting some little drawing but no painting, so I left  to pursue a free lifestyle traveling extensively in western North America including Canada and AK early. Lately mountain travel to the Himalayas and 3 trips to the Alps. All provided references for my art.  I was elected to the Plein Air Painters of America in the late 1990’s when they were the only group of its kind existing, and still the most prestigious.

In the 1970s I was focused on birds in watercolor, then acrylic and oils of big game animals of N. A. Carl Rungius’s art became a primary influence and inspired much work en Plein Air (to paint outside) reference study to inform the studio. Membership in respected artists groups, and acceptance in increasingly prestigious Western art invitational shows and galleries, and numerous trade magazine exposures raised my visibility in the market.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In a 50-year career of course there are ups and downs, but I have persisted and enjoyed a gradual upward trend based on increasing skills and market opportunities. Starting at 23 years old with little training, life was meager for many years, but free. I learned to live within my means, but consistently followed my love of simple foot travel in spectacular landscapes, often completely alone for many days.  I believe that solo time has given me a basically happy emotional core and the peace and joy of fulfilling my dreams.

I started studying with recognized painters through professional workshops in the 1980s and began teaching workshops in the ’90s to give back what I received.  At 73 can say I have accomplished a lot and am happy and successful. I’ve been blessed these past 26 years to have found my art/soul mate, Shirley Novak, a highly accomplished artist herself.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a realistic but slightly impressionistic oil painter of western North American wildlife, and mountain wilderness landscapes and lifestyles . I paint the experience of the western mountain country I have loved all my life. Seeing the Himalayas on a 200+ mile, 35-day trek, and 3 trips to the Swiss, Italian, and French Alps have broadened my oeuvre. I try to give my viewers a real experience of the grandeur and solitude of the mountain wilderness experience. I am not a serious summit oriented climber, but a backpacker who loves being among the high peaks, experiencing the silence, solitude and time slowing peace of the untrammeled wilderness.

I am proud to have been awarded the California Art Clubs’  Gold Medal in 2014, The Briscoe Western Art Museums’ Purchase Award in 2019, and the Wilson Hurley Landscape Award at the Prix de West, National Cowboy Museum in 2020.  Also the 2012 Trustees Purchase Award at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, among several others.

Pricing:

• Small Plein air studies $2200-3000
• Medium-size studio works $ 6-15k
• Large works 30×40- 48×68 $18k – $35k

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.ralphoberg.com