When Ralph Oberg was 23, his brother invited him to go to Alaska on a mountain climbing adventure. Oberg was doing architectural renderings and basic graphic design at the time and was completely unsatisfied with the work. The trip to Alaska provided the perfect opportunity to make a change.

“When I got the opportunity to quit my job and go climb ice-covered mountains in Alaska, I took it,” Oberg says. “That decision cemented the adventurer in me.”

It also gave him a closer glimpse of the glaciers that now have become a hallmark of his work. Since that trip 46 years ago, Oberg has sought out icy landforms around the world, as well as in his own backyard. He’s seen them in Switzerland, in the Himalayas and in Glacier National Park. He’s been back to Alaska several times, too. And recently, he’s been on a mission to paint as many glaciers as possible.

“I’ve become fascinated with recording the remnant glaciers while they still exist,” he says. “They may not at some point soon.”

Ralph Oberg

The Bull of the Woods
Oil
30″x40″

“I have attempted this idea a few times in the past, and feel this is the most satisfying. To suddenly encounter a bull elk at close range in a dense forest can be a heart-pounding and breathtaking moment, as you both are startled and briefly frozen in place before the animal senses the human and spins to flee in a magnificent burst of power and speed. This will be offered at the Buffalo Bill Art Show in Cody, Wyoming, in September.”

 

Ralph Oberg

Prairie Sunset
Oil
40″x55″

“I have explored the idea of the pronghorn herd a few times lately. A smaller version of this idea years ago encouraged me to ‘go big’ with it this time and develop it further. I was honored to receive the Museum Purchase Award for it at the Briscoe Museum’s 2019 Night of Artists show in San Antonio, Texas, last spring.”