Ralph Stout's Commuter Drawings on View at Duck Creek

The Arts Center at Duck Creek will present “Ralph Stout: Commuter Drawings,” on view in the Little Gallery from May 3 to June 8. A public reception will be held on Saturday, May 3, from 5 to 7 p.m.

This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to experience the quiet brilliance of longtime East End artist Ralph Stout through a series of intimate, abstract drawings made during his daily subway commutes in New York City. Created with felt tip pen on newsprint, the works transform routine travel into a ritual of observation and invention.

Each drawing — approximately 4¼ inches square — was executed directly on the pages of The New York Times. As Stout describes: “After reading the paper, I would often draw on its surface. The newspaper was the perfect canvas — each piece is almost exactly the same size, but each captures a different moment in time, with fragments of the day’s news still visible beneath the drawing.”

Stout’s work explores the tension between natural forms and mathematical precision. His abstract compositions reveal visible underdrawings and a process marked by layering and revision. “Imperfection,” he notes, “is in tension with the precision of the lines and shapes.”

The exhibition, organized by Stout’s daughters, Georgie and Sara, features over 120 of these commuter drawings, installed in grid formation. The contrast between the organic line work and the rigid geometry of the printed page reflects a lifelong interest in patterns — both visual and conceptual.

To accompany the exhibition, on Sunday, May 4, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sara Stout will lead a public workshop inspired by her father’s process. Drawing on Ralph’s guiding principles — intuition, play, and a reverence for daily practice — participants will be invited to explore their own creativity while drawing on newspapers together. The workshop encourages attendees to slow down, observe and engage with the act of mark-making as a form of discovery.

Born in 1938, Ralph Stout studied mathematics at Bucknell University before moving to New York City, where he pursued a successful career in computer science. Though art remained central to his life, it wasn’t until retirement in 2006 that he was able to devote himself fully to painting and drawing. Stout lived for decades in Springs, raising a family, making art, and writing code from a converted barn near Three Mile Harbor. He currently lives in Greenport with his wife, Sally, and their dog, Flo.

Now 86, Stout continues to create daily — often sketching on the morning paper over breakfast. His show at The Arts Center at Duck Creek marks a meaningful return to the community where his creative practice quietly thrived for so many years. This is his first solo exhibition on the East End.

The Arts Center at Duck Creek is at 127 Squaw Road in East Hampton. For more information, visit duckcreekarts.org.