“Genius”, Alabaster carving by Ralph Ingleton (11" x 9" x 20" H) RI04    $2,200

“Red Salmon” Brazilian Soapstone (15" x 3 1/2" x 8" h) RI01    $600

[Photo to come] “Otter Rock” Quebec Steatite RI02   $825

[Photo to come] “Black Falcon” B.C. Chlorite RI03   $725

The Village Gallery is delighted to add stone carver, Ralph Ingleton, to its roster of artists.  Ralph has been carving all his life, initially creating decoys from cedar posts on his boyhood farm and later turning his focus to stone carving.  Ralph is an intuitive sculptor, the intrinsic beauty of each stone will determine the subject and shape of the finished piece.  He relies on simplicity of form to reveal the beauty of the stone.

Many of Ralph’s sculptures are imposing and unusual pieces, indicative of his free-flowing style of carving.  Other carvings are inspired by his love of nature. His method of “direct carving” is a highly skilled and involved process, which demands not only technical skill, but also imagination and daring.  Most of the work is done by hand, and requires considerable time and energy.

In addition to running the Forest Valley Outdoor Education Centre for the North York Board of Education, Ralph taught stone sculpting for many years as part of the board’s night school program.  As well, he was a judge for the International Carving Exhibition at the Canadian National Exhibition for a number of years.  On his retirement from teaching in 1993, Ralph became a full time stone sculptor.