Ralph and Me

Ralph and Me is an exercise in understanding the limits of language through the elusiveness of color. Ralph Lauren’s commercial paint collection inspired me when it turned personal, as I failed on several occasions to relate to his selection of paint names to paint colors.

The story of Ralph and Me is rooted in a place of personal experience, how that defines our realities, and shapes verbal and nonverbal communication.  The further complexity of this relationship lies in the influential power of Ralph Lauren’s eponymous lifestyle brand.  Even if Ralph and I could struggle through the words (to get to the meaning), what we privately envision is likely to be that of another color.

This perceived linguistic/semiotic mismatch is explored through a series of nine diptychs.  The title of each diptych is the RL color, shown on the left.  The color on the right is the artist’s interpretation of the paint name, made from a RL paint base.

 All work is acrylic latex on wood panel. 16 x 16 x 2 in. ea. panel