Artist Statement

Based in San Francisco, Ralph Miller is a experiential artist of Nicaraguan heritage. Spending the first 7 years of his childhood in Managua, Nicaragua, Ralph was raised in a society where new things did not easily replace worn or repaired items. His environment was one of color — the bright blues, deep yellows, greens and reds found in nature throughout the Caribbean, which have influenced his work. At the age of 9 his family moved to Santo Domingo where Ralph’s early artistic development was guided by the renown painter Peña-Defilló (“Papo”), a close family friend, and other influences including Guillo Pérez and Armando Crúz.  

Ralph began working as a commercial photographer and artist designing and building sets while studying at Georgetown University. Since then, he has been a member of the award-winning Nintendo of America design team, and has had a role in the production and realization of experiential media in the United States, Europe and Asia. Ralph has developed challenging and innovative installations as an early adopter of advanced media, display and sensor technologies, including VR/XR/AR and now, AI. 

At his Studio in San Francisco, Ralph employs a wide range of media and diverse styles that are exhibited in his striking canvas work and large, immersive installations. The materials, textures and colors are often juxtaposed to nature—and sometimes incorporate elements from nature that will embellish a photograph or a painting. Ralph finds clarity in chaos, and abstraction in the accidental; like catching the sunlight breaking through a ruined roofline, or the shadow cast across a peeling poster. Each detail becomes a verse in an ongoing visual poem about perception, change and resilience – opening a world where creative media and technology converge and tell a story in every piece.

Biography