Ralph Papa

Born in 1939 in Manhattan, NYC in East Harlem.
Since childhood, I've been on the wonderful journey of living and reflecting on my family and friends, my experiences and my visions through my drawings and paintings.

Worked primarily in New York City and exhibited and sold my paintings in Greenwich Village. Through the 1960's and 70's, I painted larger than life faces conjuring a pensive mood with feelings of isolation and loneliness. In the past 20 years, I've lightened up as seen in his studio paintings while in Iran in 1978. Again later in the 1990s I shifted to plein-air painting in the New York Hudson Valley, the Long Island Hamptons and Palm Beach Florida. My paintings present an evolved style that reflect an admiration and respect for nature and individuality.

First art lessons were from my father, and later from drawing along John Gnagy during the early days television. In the 1960's after developing my own style, I studied art and architecture at Queens College and City College of New York and painted under Henry Gasser at the Art Students League.,