Ralph Auf der Heide, now in his eighties, began painting on the reverse sides of sheets of transparent Plexiglass in 1987 at the age of 72. Since that time his work has reached a wide and appreciative audience in the United States and abroad. When his paintings surprise, stimulate, amuse, and lead to questions, entirely self-taught painter Ralph considers them to have value.
He says, “Being able to make a kind of reality out of oily pigments spread over a surface with hairs from some animal is to me, a miracle. I have never had painting or drawing lessons and believed that these forms of expression would forever be denied me for want of training.”
Auf der Heide’s method of painting is an ancient technique widely practiced in many parts of the world, but rarely seen in the US. Auf der Heide currently lives with his wife in California.
Pink Piper of Hamelin