Ralph Simpson
Nationally acclaimed Canadian plant fibre artist, Ralph Simpson has developed an innovative method of weaving and sculpting plant fibre into pleasing sculptural forms. He was raised in the fields and forests of New Brunswick along the Petitcodiac River and there developed a keen interest in plants. His personal motivation arises from a deep connection with nature and an implicit desire to promote environmental sustainability.
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His creative process begins by grounding himself in the natural environments to observe local plants in their natural element. Arising from these observations, his designs are inspired by the simplicity of natural forms resulting in beautiful complex contemporary organic sculptures. A sublime manifestation of his connection with plants, his work varies in form and style but always resonates the underlying investigation into ways that plant materials can be used to spark interest and insight into the natural world.
Simpson’s foraging practice often involves the conscious harvesting of plants from and around water, both fresh and salt. As he weaves the fibres in and out, back and forth, and around, the material flows through his expert fingers, weaving warp and weft just as water winds its way through rocks on its way down stream. For the pieces in this exhibition, Simpson portrays the ebb and flow of water on the rivers near his studio, and the swell and fall of waves of Canada’s Atlantic Coast can easily be recognized in the flow and rows of his work.
Simpson is an award-winning artist with grants from Arts NB and Canada Council, short-listed for the Salt Springs National art Prize (2021) and his work has been accessioned into New Brunswick’s permanent art collection (2023). His work has been published in the US in Basketry + (National Basketry Organization), Rewilding Magazine 2023, and Fibre Focus, (2023).
