Ruth Wolf


Ruth WolfPREDESTINATION*
A Painted Graphic Novel 

You can ask what does it mean.
But there is no one story. I can only offer a map, a guide for reading this piece. 
The sequence is thus: canvases are presented to be read dawn to night (right to left).
Another day starts, the glow of dawn peers through to welcome the morning. 
As you meander through the day into dusk, the evening falls. It is lit by moonlight, and then there is the night.
A day in the life, much like Joyce’s Ulysses, full of intrusions and interruptions.

As to the development of the form - I am thinking about art and language. About reading a painting as if it were a piece of literature, where a sequence of scenes is read in series rather than as a single image seen all at once. In using a grid format, I ask the painting to visually address organization and randomness.

As to the development of composition - color, light and texture  morph and distort. Shape folds upon space to build the picture plane and allude to content. Using BLUE - cyan cobalt cerulean ultramarine - the color of the sky and the sea, ephemeral like memory, it can not be held only felt. As day transitions into night, l'heure bleue, light waves scatter and the color becomes a pulsating aura.

As to the development of narrative - How do stories take shape. First there is the blank canvas, then there is a spontaneous flash of information. After 5 seconds this thought is either captured on the canvas or it is tossed out. What is focused on, what is discarded,  reshaped, manipulated, disguised. 

He said I want your body and she said you can have it when I’m done with it.**
I heard they injected reflective aerosols into the atmosphere last night.
Narrative references like these, as well as titles and page headings create assumptions. They may move the narrative along yet whatever the plot is it is in the mind of the viewer. Does the viewer derive pleasure in this silent dialogue.
Asking questions, collaborating on content and sharing stories excites conversation. 
And the goal is to connect.

*Predestination is defined as the doctrine foreordaining all that will happen especially with regard to the salvation of some and not of others.

** Germaine Greer


Ruth Wolf Bio  
Ruth Wolf video by John Thornton 
Tour & Talk with Ruth Wolf 

Ruth Wolf's next solo exhibition is upcoming April 9 - May 4, 2025 
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 12, 2 - 5 p.m. 

Ashley, acrylic with ashes, ink and graphite on canvas painting by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf
Ashley, acrylic & mixed media on canvas, 12" x 12"  Available 

Evelyn, acrylic with tape on canvas painting by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf
Eveyln, acrylic & mixed media on canvas, 12" x 12"  Available

Wava, acrylic with spray paint on canvas painting by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf
Wava, acrylic & mixed media on canvas, 12" x 12"  Available 

Evelyn at Night, acrylic with spray paint on canvas painting by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf
Evelyn at Night, acrylic & mixed media on canvas, 12" x 12"  Available


Vespid, acrylic with wasp nest paper on canvas painting by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf
Vespid, acrylic & mixed media on canvas, 12" x 12"  Available

Inga, ink with wax crayon on canvas painting by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf
Inga, ink & mixed media on canvas, 12" x 12"  Available 

Kathy Kisses, ink with stickers on canvas painting by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf
Kathy Kisses, ink & mixed media on canvas, 12" x 12"  Available 

Wava at Night, acrylic on canvas painting by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf
Wava at Night, acrylic on canvas, 12" x 12"  Available 

Life on Mars, acrylic on canvas painting by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf
Life on Mars, acrylic on canvas, 66" x 73"  Available 

Predestination, acrylic on canvas painting (5 canvases) by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf
Predestination, acrylic on canvas (5 canvases)  Available 

Predestination: Dawn (there is a crack with the light gets in) by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf
Predestination, Dawn (there is a crack where the light goes in), acrylic on canvas, 24" x 26"  Available 

Predestination: Day (she is worried she won't be blooming in time) by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf
Predestination, Day, (she is worried she won't be blooming in time), acrylic on canvas, 22" x 38"  Available 

Predestination: Sundowner (the hissing of summer lawns) by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf.
Predestination, Sundowner (the hissing of summer lawns), acrylic on canvas, 22" x 38"  Available 

Predestination, Moondance (they told us to stop thinking), acrylic on canvas painting by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf.
Predestination, Moondance (they told us to stop thinking), acrylic on canvas, 24" x 36"  Available 

Predestination: Gates (facing a future of repression), acrylic on canvas painting by Cerulean Arts Collective Member Ruth Wolf.
Predestination, Gates (facing a futre of repression), acrylic on canvas, 25" x 37"  Available 


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Ruth Wolf's most recent solo exhibition was held December 6, 2023 - January 14, 2024.  A selection of her work is currently available at the gallery as indicated. For inquiries on all other works shown, please Contact Us


What Does the Painting See, acrylic on canvas with charcoal and ashes, 48" x 72"  


Lost at See, acrylic on canvas with ink, 50" x 72"  


I Wish I Were a River, acrylic on canvas with graphite, 50" x 72"  


Still Life, acrylic on canvas primed with mica flake, 56" x 64"  


Locked In, acrylic on canvas with chalk and white out, 24" x 34"  SOLD 


Amanda, acrylic on canvas with drier lint, net and pearls, 12" x 12"  Available 


Silvia, charcoal and spray paint on canvas with silver necklace, 12" x 12"  Available 


Betty, acrylic on canvas, 12" x 12"  Available 


Gary, acrylic on canvas with graphite and white out, 12" x 12"  Available 


Dora, acrylic on canvas with white out, 12" x 12"  Available 


Fred, acrylic on canvas with burnt paper and white out, 12" x 12"  SOLD 


Alice, acrylic, spray paint, mesh and charcoal on canvas , 12" x 12"  Available 

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For inquiries on work from Ruth Wolf's previous exhibitions shown below, please Contact Us






A Walk in Czechoskovakia, acrylic, litho crayon, graphite, 49" x 72"  


Don't Go Home, acrylic, litho crayon, graphite,white-out, 49" x 41"  


Sisters Walking, acrylic, litho crayon, chalk, 32" x 49"  


Masks and Memories, acrylic and litho crayon, 32" x 32"  


Masks and Mirrors, acrylic and litho crayon, 32" x 32" 


The Day Before the Mourning, acrylic, gauze, ashes, mica flake, 49" x 72"  


Daphne, acrylic, white-out, pastel, 12" x 12"  


Luna, silk, acrylic, pencil, earring, 12" x 12"  


Cherry, mesh, acrylic, tape, litho crayon, 12" x 12"  


Eric Avon, acrylic on silk, 12" x 12"  


Freida, acrylic on silk with rust and tape, 12" x 12" 


Phoebe, silk, paper, taupe, acrylic, 12" x 12"  


Invisible People - Dorothy, spray paint, silk cloth, chalk, graphite, 12" x 12"  SOLD 


Invisible People - Anna, acrylic, pen, pencil, charcoal, 12" x 12"   


Invisible People - Tomatoes, spray paint, mesh plastic bag, graphite, 12" x 12"  SOLD  


Outside Looking In, acrylic, charcoal on recycled painting, 50.5" x 56.5"  


Mona, ink block print with decals, 22" x 30"  


The Dead Run at Night, acrylic and cloth on canvas with glow-in-the-dark, 58" x 50"  


Leaf Shadows, acrylic, screen with plastic bugs on canvas, 35.5" x 39"  


Whisperers, acrylic and cloth on canvas with glow-in-the-dark, 34" x 48"  


No One Screamed, acrylic on canvas, 25" x 43" 


Into the Sea of Place and Time, acrylic on canvas, 28" x 84"  


Dawn, acrylic and litho crayon on canvas, 10" x 10"  


Noon, acrylic and litho crayon on canvas, 10" x 10" 


Dusk, acrylic and litho crayon on canvas, 10" x 10"  


Night, acrylic and litho crayon on canvas, 10" x 10" 


Veiled Head, graphite and charcoal, 29" x 29"  


Angry Head, graphite and charcoal, 27" x 33"  


Invisible People - Gloria, mixed-media on canvas, 12" x 12"   


Invisible People - Greta, mixed-media on canvas, 12" x 12"  


Tashfeen, silk, spray paint, sharpie on canvas, 12" x 12"  


Seeing, acrylic, screen on canvas, 12" x 12"  SOLD  



Pond, acrylic, spray paint, carbon paper on canvas, 12" x 12"  SOLD