On Thursday night, the Columbus Arts Council opened its doors to more than an exhibition – it opened to a gathering of friends, admirers and fellow artists.
Just inside the entryway, perched on a small stool where he could greet each person who walked in, sat Ralph Null. Guests filtered through the gallery, stopping to hug him, congratulate him or simply say hello. The walls held his newest paintings, some small, some large, but all vibrant studies of color and botanical form – along with a few cats. The room itself brimmed with affection for a man who has shaped Columbus’ artistic landscape for decades.
Visitors browse and select their own Ralph Null originals Thursday night at the Columbus Arts Council. The artist’s small-scale floral paintings, displayed on tables throughout the gallery, offer an accessible way for guests to take home a piece of original art. Ashlynd King/Dispatch Staff
As he watched visitors move from canvas to canvas, Null shared the hope that guides his work: “I hope people find the joy of seeing through their eyes what I have seen through mine.”
The sentiment captures the spirit of the evening and the spirit of Null’s long creative life.
Though many know Null now as a painter, his artistic legacy began in a different medium. An internationally recognized floral designer, he pioneered the naturalistic organic design style, an approach that draws from the textures, forms and everyday materials of the woodlands and landscapes he grew up observing.
His influence earned him some of the profession’s highest honors, including the American Institute of Floral Designers’ Award of Design Influence in 2007, when he became only the third recipient. The Society of American Florists also awarded him the Poetker Award for enhancement of the American aesthetic in 1997.
Null spent 25 years teaching at Mississippi State University, where he developed the retail floral design and management programs and trained hundreds of students. He retired as a full-time professor in 1992 and was named professor emeritus.
But on Thursday, accolades weren’t the focus. Null seemed happiest simply greeting neighbors, eager to share stories and smiles from his front-row seat.
Although Null experimented with painting decades ago while recovering from cancer, he set it aside for years. It wasn’t until the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic that painting became a daily practice.
“I found some paints in my studio and started again,” he said. “During the pandemic, I painted almost every day.”
That rhythm continues. Most mornings, he wakes early, eats granola and yogurt, solves a word puzzle, pours a cup of coffee and heads to his studio.
“I go out there with my coffee,” he said. “And the next thing I know, my coffee is cold and it’s 11 a.m., and I’ve done all my work for the day. Mornings are my time.”
The exhibition showcases the small-scale pieces that have become Null’s hallmark – works often no larger than 6 or 8 inches square. Their size, he said, suits his creative pace.
“I like small,” Null said. “With smalls, I can start today, tweak tomorrow and it’s done. And it means original art can be affordable for anybody. That matters to me.”
Ralph Null stands in front of his personal favorite painting from his most recent collection. Larger than most of Null’s other pieces, the blooming tulip tree captures the color, texture and form of the tree as he sees it. Ashlynd King/Dispatch Staff
One of his current favorites hangs directly across from the front doors: a teal-hued branch of blooming Japanese magnolia. It’s one of his larger pieces, and it greets visitors almost as warmly as Null himself.
Though many of the paintings feel spontaneous, Null said several hold entire histories beneath their surface.
“There’s quite a few pieces in this show that have been done over so many times,” he said. “They were overpainted… I don’t have the pride to say, no, that’s perfect. So some of my favorite pieces here are really maybe three paintings, but that’s my secret. When I’m old and dead and gone in a 100 years and somebody does an x-ray, they’re gonna say, “Oh, God, there is five paintings layered under this!’”
Recently he has been experimenting with wood panels, which he said have opened up a new creative pathway. “The way the paint moves is so different,” he said. “Painting on panels has become a whole new experience.”
He hopes to return to oil painting as well, though he notes the medium dries slowly. “Maybe now that the pressure of the show is over, I’ll get the chance,” he said.
Though he paints for pleasure, the exhibition carries a purpose beyond personal expression. Half of the proceeds support the Columbus Arts Council. The remaining half, after expenses, benefits the endowed chair he established with the American Institute of Floral Designers Foundation.
“I paint for fun,” he said. “And then I’m able to give back.”
Null credits Columbus for supporting him from the beginning, even when he looks back and feels early pieces were far less developed.
“They bought art even when I look back and think, ‘Oh, that was so bad,’” he said, smiling. “But they loved it.”
He pauses to greet another well-wisher and then returns to the conversation seamlessly – an artist entirely at home among familiar faces.
As for what keeps him painting, Null’s answer is simple.
“It’s not me, it’s not the paint – it’s the brush,” he said. “If we can control what happens at the end of our finger, we can do wonders in the world.”
And as long as creating brings joy, he doesn’t plan to stop.
“When it quits being fun, I’ll quit,” he said. “But I don’t think that’ll be anytime soon.”
Posted in Lifestyles
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