Using wood from around the world, sculptor, Ralph Dorazio created seamless forms, sculptures that carve away all but the essence of shape and subject leaving an almost liquid appearance. Fascinated by the art and architecture of ancient civilizations, Dorazio's sculptures are totemic and appear sacred and figurative in their vertical ascension.

Ralph Dorazio was born in 1922 in Detroit, Michigan and earned a BA in history from Wayne University. In 1942, he enlisted in the Navy and after serving in WWII he returned to Detroit to embark on a career in journalism. After six months working at the United Press he resigned from his job and moved to New York City to begin his life as a wood sculptor. Dorazio's father, his grandfather and uncle, were all stonecutters and masons, like most of the men from his small ancestral town in the Abruzzi, Italy, which was populated primarily by artisans who worked with their hands.

Life as a sculptor led to working with Frederick Kiesler's art and architectural models, designing and creating props and sets of wood for Erick Hawkins Dance Company, and teaching at Pratt Institute and Fabrizio Art Studio. As a part time teacher and designer, Dorazio's created a personal and committed statement of fluid form using solid materials. Before his death in October, 2004, Dorazio's sculptures were exhibited at Lever House, the Grace Building, and the Salamagundie Gallery.