Ralph Kerle's Art

15/10/2026

Nature has a rather good trick up her sleeve.

I turned a reflection on my screen. Partway through, I stopped. Golden shapes had become performers on a wavering stage of blue.

I could tell you what made the reflection. But where would be the fun in that?

Welcome to The Water Ballet. Act One.

A signed limited edition of five, 120 × 80 cm, on museum-quality archival paper. Edition 1 is available now.

Discover the artwork:

https://www.ralphkerlesart.com/products/the-water-ballet

Curious how it began? Read the story in The Art Journal:

https://www.ralphkerlesart.com/blogs/the-art-journal/the-water-ballet-when-nature-becomes-the-magician

What do you see in the performance?

09/10/2026

09/10/2026

Ralph Kerle is the cover feature of Sydney Observer's October 2026 Golden Years Special. 🌊

In "From a kayak on the harbour", Jay Houhlias speaks with Ralph about the longevity of art and how it can sustain health. The feature covers his abstract photographic art, made from years of exploring Sydney Harbour by kayak, and six of his works with the stories behind them.

"Perhaps one of the secrets of ageing well is simply reminding ourselves that we never have to stop creating."

Read the full feature: https://www.ralphkerlesart.com/blogs/media/sydney-observer-golden-years-special-ralph-kerle

01/10/2026

Introducing City of Light.

Some moments stay with you long after they disappear.

While on Sydney’s Middle Harbour near Mosman Rowing Club, I witnessed sunlight, wind and water transform the reflection of a silver and white vessel into something unexpected—a vibrant city appearing across the surface of the water.

This new work explores an emerging idea in my practice: Nature’s Technology—the extraordinary visual experiences created when light, water, wind and reflective surfaces come together.

City of Light is also a work I am approaching with curiosity. The luminosity I experienced in that moment is difficult to fully capture on a screen, which is why I am producing the artwork on reflective metallic aluminium.

I have shared the full story behind the work in my latest Art Journal.

Read the story → https://www.ralphkerlesart.com/blogs/the-art-journal/city-of-light-when-nature-builds-a-metropolis

Explore City of Light → https://www.ralphkerlesart.com/products/city-of-light

10/09/2026

Turner has fascinated me for many years.

Although he worked from the late eighteenth into the nineteenth century, his handling of light, atmosphere and dissolving form can feel remarkably modern. At times, I see his work moving towards Impressionism and even abstraction.

My own starting point is water.

Working from my kayak at water level, I watch the colours and structures reflected around me fragment, stretch and dissolve. Occasionally they create the illusion of an entirely different place.
Impressions of a Turner Landscape 9 came from one of those moments.

Its luminous yellow field and darker horizontal forms may suggest a shoreline, mountains, mist or simply light.

The final landscape belongs to the person looking at it.

200 × 100 cm. Limited edition of five. Edition 1/5 is now available.

24/08/2026

There is a secret place in Middle Harbour that few paddlers seem to know.

View Treecolour:
https://www.ralphkerlesart.com/products/tree

It disappears from the main waterway into a narrow, shallow channel enclosed by mangroves and native trees. Entering it feels like leaving Sydney behind.

When the water is still and sunlight enters the channel, the trees descend into the water as colour. Greens deepen into turquoise, illuminated lines flicker across the surface, and dark branches appear to float within the reflection.

The mangrove system is also recorded by the Sydney Institute of Marine Science as a breeding ground for bull sharks—an unexpected presence within such a peaceful environment.

Yet this sanctuary carries another history. Tanneries once operated throughout the surrounding Willoughby catchment, and industrial runoff travelled through waterways leading towards Middle Harbour. My own family history is connected to that industry.

Treecolour emerged from these contradictions: beauty and damage, inheritance and regeneration, stillness and unease.

Treecolour
174 × 100 cm
Signed Limited Edition Artwork of 5
A$2,750 including GST

View the artwork and read its complete story:
https://www.ralphkerlesart.com/products/treecolour

You can also join my Art Journal for the first view of new artworks and the stories behind them:
https://www.ralphkerlesart.com/blogs/the-art-journal

30/07/2026

🌊 Introducing Blue Mood, a new work from my LandEscapes collection.

Winter and the week had tested my stress levels, and I badly needed to get onto the water. As I paddled beneath the beautiful blue sky, I felt what John Burroughs described as nature putting the senses back in order.

At the same time, I have been reading Wallace J. Nichols’ Blue Mind. Returning to the studio, I recognised a wonderful symmetry between the experience of the kayak, the ideas in the book and the image before me.

Blue Mood is a visual summary of that connection: a field of blue carrying traces of movement, steadied by a quiet white horizon and the living surface of the harbour below.

🔹Explore Blue Mood on my website here https://www.ralphkerlesart.com/products/blue-mood

🔹and read the reflection on restoring the senses here https://www.ralphkerlesart.com/blogs/the-art-journal/blue-mood-putting-the-senses-back-in-order

19/07/2026

Just enjoying the sunrise on the water. Makes me feel alive in every sense.

28/06/2026

This is about my actual art practice. I can’t thank Michael Lester enough for allowing me so much time. Great interviewer!!

Innovation Talk with Michael Lester

Wednesday | 8:00am–9:00am
Radio Northern Beaches 88.7 & 90.3FM | www.rnb.org.au

This week, Michael speaks with Northern Beaches photographic artist Ralph Kerle about his journey from a successful career in the commercial creative industries to becoming an internationally exhibited contemporary abstract artist.

What began as a response to a mid-life career crisis and depression became both a creative outlet and a form of therapy. From his kayak, Ralph photographs nature's reflections on the water, transforming them into striking abstract artworks that are printed as large-scale pieces on fine art paper.

His unique vision has taken him to exhibitions, galleries and collectors around the world. Join Michael for a fascinating discussion about creativity, resilience, reinvention, and finding inspiration in the natural world.

Missed the previous episode? Catch up via the Podcast tab at www.rnb.org.au or listen here:
https://www.mixcloud.com/michael-lester5/natural-abstract-art-reflections-from-a-kayak-ralph-kerle-photographic-artist-innovn234/

24/05/2026

Photographic Portrait by Brigita Strods