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Ralph is an accomplished educator (BFA, MA, CAGS, Ed.D), artist, illustrator & designer, and even therapist, and has practiced various aspects of these interests over almost 40 years. Starting at an early age with designing tree houses, structures and various utilitarian usages, to illustrations and graphics for ads and pamphlets, Calligraphy, to murals, there was not a visual endeavor that intimidated him. Early experiences and much familial and school support allowed him to take on a ‘maker’ mentality and thread it into the shape and drive he possesses.

As an educator of 33 years in Central Mass, he now teaches and directs a large district and high school fine arts program. With 23 art teachers, seven at his high school, Wachusett has kept him busy program building and in securing a lofty place for the arts for his district’s students. Beyond the school district, Ralph has served as President of the Massachusetts Art Education Association (1994-97), on the Executive Board representing secondary for National Art Education Association (2007-09) and currently as Trustee and Finance Director of the NAEA foundation. He completed his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in educational policy and administration specializing in creative attitudes, perceptions and environments. In between duties and jobs, he has been an adjunct professor at Anna Maria College and currently teaching remotely for Fitchburg State University.

Ralph selected art and illustration as a career early amongst several interests areas, in part as a way of sharing this interest with teens. This choice also allowed for keeping up many approaches and media. Amongst his favorites are plein aire painting (mostly of boats, seascapes, pets and architecture), oil pastel and colored pencil. He is an accomplished architectural illustrator, as well as a former creative therapist (art and expressive) at UMass Medical. Ralph’s past programming and Summer Art Academy have won awards.

Being close to ‘ a career change’, he plans to continue painting and illustrating, teaching at the college level and settling into life in Dunedin Fl, kayaking, paddle boarding and creating art.

Quite often I’m asked ‘What’s your medium’? I’m sure it is a question asked of many artists. What mystifies me is that this assumption is one that assumes an artist works with only one medium, one direction, possibly in linear fashion which is more representative of many professionals and reflective of school’s priorities today.  I do remember peers in art school in the late 70’s, early 80’s falling into the same trappings and beliefs and translating into pressures to narrow their field of vision and ultrafocus. Maybe I’m a throwback to the past because I could never answer the question. My answer often, and after three and a half decades of art educating (all ages, but mostly HS), is ‘students’. That has been my major medium of choice for almost four decades! 

  What motivates me and drives my directions also proves to be vague and mysterious at times. Over roughly 45 years, anything from a simple drive to make and create, to make out of nothing, to reflect beauty and images that I’ve seen and/or felt somewhere as filtered through my imagination, all the way to an urge to communicate thoughts visually, extended to the challenges of taking on commissioned pieces--all may be sources. I find myself lately drawn to the ocean, partly because I have the ocean more at my fingertips  where it stretches my senses. The abundance of produce in the farm to shore area I partly inhabited has opened my eyes to lots of color, shape and possibility.

I continue on making the occasional environmental laced concerns I have apparent in various works, as well as taking on architectural and illustrative challenges. Yes, it seems contradictory to both be drawn to the built environment and the natural environment. However, if I’d been born 20-30 years later, I would’ve probably been ‘drawn’ into the world of green architecture. It was not a choice or reality almost 40 years ago. Needless to say, there is not enough time in the day, year or lifetime to do and make all that I want to do.  One of my early professors, Leon Hovsepian, a well known artist and WPA muralist, modeled and approached challenges like this. So did Leonardo. In concluding, and once one perceptually proceeds past initial definitions via medium and/or ‘a focus’, then I guess you could, as some have, call me a classical, Renaissance man, eco-artist, illustrator at times, or designer. I just prefer Ralph Caouette Ed.D, who is a creator. I have the rest of my life to continue to broaden the definition of artist! 

Inspiration? Inspiring thoughts, compelling solutions, all come with perspiration. I strongly believe that as an artist, designer, illustrator, creative problem solver, artistic organizer, etc., all come with combo’s of experience, play, legwork, research at times, putting yourself out there, and of course, the strongest ranging curious mind and eyes one can have and develop. Let’s put it this way! Some believe in divine lightning strike inspirations from outside sources. It starts and emanates within, the person! If one is curious, openminded, experimental, dabbles a lot, is a good person with eyes wide open, then inspiration abounds. I’ve taken it upon myself to share many of these paths that help build such colorful minds and spirits, whether students, colleagues, newsletters, and my own practice as a counselor. Of course, if one has an inspiring and colorful wife, family, and friends, it only goes further. Artistry= mastery + originality!