“Inside the Outside” by Ralph Prata
This past Sunday, we took Joy’s mother and sister to the nearby DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun. Years ago, as part of his Santa Catalina Foothills property, Ted DeGrazia built a Guest House for artists to work and show their work. Today the DeGrazia Foundation continues this legacy during the winter months. During our visit, we had an opportunity to see the work of Ralph Prata. Ralph resides in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, but he, his wife, and their cat spend the winter months near Ventana Canyon.
We immediately fell in love with Prata’s work, so we went back three times, selecting different pieces to see what would best show his work in our foothills home. So the above, “Inside the Outside,” is now in place to welcome visitors to our home, where we live “inside the outside.”
Prata has said of his work, “My works do not necessarily document particular life ways nor tell stories. Rather they are to touch the spirit and imagination. Allowing the viewers the freedom to find their visions.” Our spirit has been “touched.” To celebrate our getting to know Ralph and his art, I wrote the following poem:
Inside the Outside
I began on the inside,
Knowing not of an outside,
Only knowing of my being.
My knowledge is limited,
A temporary prisoner,
Protected by the inside.
Demanding more room,
Life on inside
Began to grow short.
Having no choice,
Pushed from the womb
Into the world of the unknown.
On the inside,
I had been content
In my limited space.
Now on the outside,
I let it be known,
Crying in the face of a new destiny.
My first act of rebellion,
Already expressing a nostalgia
For the innocence of the inside.
Appealing to my essence of being,
I soon learned the outside
Could be my new inside.
Always giving away,
Some of the outside,
So not to lose it all.
To become inside the outside,
Allows the practice of thinking
To create a way of living.
— kenne
Ralph Prata outside the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun Guest Gallery — images by kenne
Wow, powerful art and an equally powerful poem. I totally relate. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, Prata knows how to capture the past, present and future in art. It’s like he scratches out a glimpse of eternity for us to experience.
I want to forward you a painting of my inside.
It is said”when you see it you’ll buy it”. I was so moved buy his prints I bought the frist one I looked at. Now have three, converting the guest room into my heart meditaion room. Thank you Ralph for your creativity and inspiring work.
Oh very nice, both the piece and the poem.
Ralph is a wonderful talent. I have one of his pieces and absolutely LOVE it.
I purchased ” only human” many moons ago at Long’s Park in Lancaster, Pa.. I continue to feel the same intensity for it as the afternoon I bought it. My question is how do I buy the same piece? I wish I could say that I will be traveling your way, but I don’t imagine that will be the case. Please advise and thank you in advance. Amy Rockmaker
I will see if I can contact Ralph. The last time I saw him was last year at the 4th Avenue Street Fair in Tucson.
Reblogged this on Becoming is Superior to Being and commented:
This posting first appeared on January 29, 2011. We are very proud of our Prata art piece. — kenne