“Architecture is the handwriting of Man”
                                                                          Bernard Maybeck

The buildings we choose to erect and inhabit define us, both as individuals and as a society.  By exploring architecture we are exploring ourselves.  Working with architectural references from all over the world, Ralston is fascinated by the spiritual and emotional bonds that we have with our surroundings.

Jonathan has traveled extensively throughout Europe, seeking out and exploring gothic and Romanesque structures. “I try and distill from the architectural scene a small section which to me defines the whole space.  It is these cropped sections that hold the emotional content.”

In the presence of these larger than life architectural buildings, he looks for confined, intriguing perspectives that best represent the physical and ethereal aspects of a space.  Through form, color and texture, he seeks to push us into a dialogue about our relationship with our surroundings.  By distilling the space down to its key elements and abstracting its appearance he wants to push the viewer to bring his or her own experiences and personal connections to the space within the painting.  By engaging us in these buildings/spaces often devoid of their historical importance or identifiable reference points he allows us to look at them with fresh eyes.

Jonathan uses many layers of paint to build up the surface, resulting in a effect akin to the Dutch Masters, who could spend years developing a painting allowing the image to emerge slowly.