The Vault: John Ralston V - The Endless Wake

John Ralston is an artist and carpenter operating out of Baltimore, Maryland. He was born in Virginia where he attended Old Dominion University and later moved to Baltimore to complete a fine art graduate program at Maryland Institute College of Art. While in the Mount Royal program he was mentored by artists Frances Barth, Alice Aycock, and Luca Buvoli. Some of his major artistic influences include: Tony Cragg, Ursula Von Rydingsvard, Ron Nagle, Carol Bove, and, of course, Bram Bogart. Currently he manages renovation projects throughout the Baltimore area and uses the materials and methodologies in his everyday job to inform his studio practice. His studio practice has developed over years of physical experimentation and he feels a deep devotion to the well-crafted object whether it be in art or design. He recently completed a multi-year renovation project of a mixed use building in downtown Baltimore that will eventually house one of the premier galleries in the city. He is currently pursuing funding for the acquisition of historic property in downtown Baltimore to be purpose-built for artist studios and strengthen the artistic community by creating an epicenter before the fundamental changes take place in the rapidly transforming metro area.

John Ralston has shown work on the East Coast as far north as Rhode Island and as far south as North Carolina. In a show entitled ”Dimensions 2018” at the Associated Artists of Winston-Salem Gallery, his pieces “Emoboy” and “Eager Machine” took the award for best in show. Through the recent pandemic he has used the free time and absence of consistently available opportunities to stockpile new works. In a span of 8 months he was able to complete 43 new original pieces. He also used much of that time to streamline his process and refine the conceptual strength of his work. His most recent show in March 2021 at Baltimore City’s The Parlour Gallery was titled, “New Ruins” and featured four of his newest pieces alongside that of three other artists. The show was well attended and received despite the lingering concern over the pandemic. John’s future plans for his art include using the rest of this year to exhibit his newly completed work and developing a new group of pieces that push the aesthetic characteristics into further jarring, alien representations.