Ralph Brown - Caricature Artist - Baltimore, MD

Ralph Brown is a self-taught artist and has been a professional caricaturist since 1992. Typically working in mixed media from pen & ink to oil pastel to colored pencils and occasionally in oil paint. Ralph doesn't limit himself to traditional mediums he also enjoys incorporating the tools of computer applications like Photoshop and Illustrator, and feels they allow for a broad & creative illustrative style and a variety of techniques.

Ralpha was honored at the Peabody Institute in 92 and is an affiliate and friend of the non-profit community art center "Open Space Arts" based in Reisterstown MD since it's beginning more than 15 years ago. He has been The feature caricaturist at the Reisterstown festival 2 years in a row and drawing regularly at an open display and stand at Owings Mills Mall in the years of 1994 & 1995. Ralph began drawing caricatures with "Quick Draw Caricatures" in the downtown Inner Harbor in Baltimore MD In 1992 under local caricature legend Irv Finifter; employing the “chalk and glove” technique, which produces an affect similar, to airbrush.

Gary Smith, Tom Chalkley, Tony Shore, Cellestia Ward and, Edward Ghee are just a few of the talented caricature artists that Ralph has worked alongside over the years. Along with teaching art and, cartoon illustration at the Howard County Art Center for the past 3 years, he has been working in art, locally within the community for over ten years. Drawing since the age of 7, Ralph recognizes that genuine support and sincere nurturing of “the artist within” is one of the most important factors in an artist’s development. Encouragement to simply “DO”; inspiring confidence in exploration is necessary to the potential artist’s growth.

Techniques in the arts can be learned and, sometimes taught, but personal persistence and dedication to “the vision” from the artist produces the best results. ‘Talent’ cannot be taught and though it may want to grow, it must be supported and developed along with personal desire in order to really blossom. Ralph's belief is that the energy behind a piece of artwork is what must speak for it more than the image itself because how else does so much bad looking artwork end up receiving so much praise?

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Baltimore, MD. Will travel.

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