Exhibition International Premiere – Tel Aviv
Out of Africa. Artist Ralph Resnik (left) with First Secretary (Political Department), David Nelufuela from the South African Embassy at the launch of the exhibition in Tel Aviv.
What a buzz! It was early evening in downtown south Tel Aviv, with folk standing around a pavement bar, wine glasses in hand at the entrance to the prestigious art studio of Shuki Kook. The occasion was the solo exhibition and International Premier of wildlife artist –Ralph Resnik.
There was no mistaking in the pencil strokes and grey shading of this unique artist – that he loves and misses his native South Africa.
At least he is compensated by having the exceptional talent to express that longing of what he loves and misses most – the wildlife.
The studio was packed inside and outside with a mix of Israelis and former South Africans. Conversation ranged between expressing how the artist captured “the statuesque posture of the lion,” “the weary wildebeest,” “the pensive and uncertain buck at the waterhole…”, to “he takes me back to my last visit to the Kruger” – South Africa’s premier game park – the Kruger National Park – which is larger than the State of Israel.
Enjoying mingling with the crowd was recent newcomer to Israel David Nelufule, First Secretary Political at the South African Embassy in Ramat Gan. 
“I’ve lived most my life in or near Pretoria – not too far from our game parks – so this art makes me feel close to home,” said Nelufule raising his glass of red wine.
Back in the Bush
Ralph reveals how as a boy, “I would go with my nature-loving family on safari trips in the heart of the Kruger National Park, about six to eight times a year, and my Dad – an amateur wildlife photographer, who won many photographic awards – would take photos from which I would do pencil-sketches. Later, I too started using cameras and long lenses to shoot for my paintings.”
In this way, Ralph, an autodidact, has spent a lifetime ‘dialoguing’ with wild life representing his “best buddies” in a style that authentically captures the character and personality of each animal. In his “#pencilpaintings” as Ralph calls them, he has developed a technique of applying pencil to an eraser, which he then uses as a ‘brush’ to freely paint. Later he’ll use clean erasers to paint out areas, thus creating the impressions of depth and space. And sometimes, he adds touches of colour, further emphasising his special impressions of the world of wildlife.
Promises Promises
Like an elephant, this wildlife artist ‘never forgets’! Growing up in the small town of Brits and then Boksburg, he joined the Jewish youth movement ‘Ichud Habonim’, and it was while visiting Israel as a teenager on a leadership tour, “I decided I would return to live here.” When Ralph did decades later, he decided that he would never forget his South African roots and his wildlife friends, and this promise he too kept as colourfully emblazoned in his black and white “#pencilpaintings” of wildlife. The exhibition, titled “Wildlife Expressions: Full Colour in Black & White”, is a collection of the most recent 20 #Pencil 
Paintings, done over a four-year period, between 2013-2017.
“Why black and white?” I ask. Anticipating the question, Ralph rattles off three reasons. Firstly, “from sketching early on in life with pencil and paper, my mind became attuned to “painting” in black and white, and secondly, when I started doing wildlife photography, I was lucky to have my own black and white darkroom, which allowed me to “see” nature in the richness of monochrome.”
However, it was the third reason that so impressed this writer as it affirmed the artist enjoyed a special affinity with his subject matter. “The fact that animals do not see the world in colour as we do, has fascinated me and sparked my curiosity. Instead, their world is monochromatic, and this is how I express them.” There is something beautiful and so authentic about this artist and like his cheetahs, this artist is going places fast.
Following this first International Premier in Tel Aviv – his fourth solo exhibition, second in Israel – next up for Ralph is his upcoming participation in the Wildlife Artist of the Year 2017 exhibition to be held at The Mall Galleries, London in June/July 2017.
Gathering around with others like thirsty buck for one final schnapps at the ‘waterhole’ bar, I looked up to see Ralph’s large lion eyeing me out. Raising my glass to His Majesty’s portrait, I concluded the exhibition with the traditional Hebrew toast: “L’Chaim!” (to life).
