David Ridgway - painter

Port Townsend to Newhalem

2012-01-10T12:27:00.000-08:00

Here are a few images of work on view in Port Townsend this month at Simon Mace Gallery on Taylor Street.


Blue Boat Parrish House, 14x18", oil on panel

The painting to the left is of Parrish House on Lawrence and Calhoun in town. Brad at Simon Mace told me it is the second oldest brick house on the West Coast.

Back Side Gorge Inn, 6x8", oil on paper

This painting is of the Gorge Inn in Newhalem. An old restaurant builtto feed the tourists who came to seethe new power plant and dam on the upper Skagit River. They served a chicken dinner à la Mildred Pierce.It is slated for a remodel and should be open again this year or next.

Lost and Found in Translation

2011-11-18T11:06:00.001-08:00

Fresh Tilled, 8x10", oil on masonite with resin, courtesy Waterworks Gallery

Sometimes I do a larger painting based on a smaller one and vice versa, if for no other reason than to see what happens with the expansion or contraction. This is a small work I did on masonite loosely based on a farm in the Skagit Valley near Beaver Marsh Road. Using a large brush in relation to available space adds an expressive quality to the brushwork.

Farm Near Pleasant Mountain, 30x40", oil on canvas, private collection

In this case the larger was done later. More space to investigate color transitions, space and composition. Painted more thinly and using the same scrape-through method on the furrows as above. The windows and trim in this painting seem to be projecting outward and reflecting the late afternoon light.


Farmhouse with Blue Sky, 22x28", oil on linen

In this case the larger was painted first. It is a more abstracted interpretation of a scene in the same general area as the ones above but eliminates the foothills and exaggerates the intensity and value of the sky.

Farmhouse with Blue Sky (small), 5x7", oil on masonite

This piece zeroed in on the house and trees and left more of the direct painting action intact. Don't know if the next version will larger or smaller.

Self Cannibalizing or Series?

2011-09-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

February Afternoon, 14x14", oil on canvas, private collection

I have been making paintings of a farm in Skagit County for many years. It can be seen from Best Road between Mt. Vernon and Conway. Over time the paintings have referred to themselves and other works by me and other painters. They have become more about a continuing process than an end result.

Elde's Winter, 30x48", oil on canvas, private collection

This painting is quite a bit larger than the one above and makes clear references to it and other past works of mine, a few modernist and NW painters as well as a some from the Group of Seven.

Elde's Dusk, 10x32", oil on rag mat, private collection

This piece was done on rag mat with a terracotta/venetian red gesso ground over which I painted some areas quite thinly in order to exploit the color in the dusky lit foothills.


Elde's November, 48x48", oil on canvas, courtesy Waterworks Gallery, Friday Harbor

The work to the left is one of the largest I have painted recently and is in clear reference to 3 earlier works. So is this self-cannibalizing or just a series?

Leiber Haven Redux

2011-09-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

Red Truck with Green Dinghy, 18x32", oil on rag mat

I used to live on Orcas Island with a view of Lieber Haven Marina and cabins. The area epitomized old Orcas to me. Over the years I had fun painting it with less reality in mind and more the of way it made me feel. Here is a piece that goes about as far in that direction as I have gone to date.

Runabout Lieber Haven, 30x36", oil on canvas, private collection

Here is one done previously to the one above with the flat top pink house in the proper location. The pink house was purchased by some friends who had to tear it down due to mold and rot. They enjoy their new home on the site.

Organic Frames? Well almost...

2011-08-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

'Saturday', 11x14", oil on canvas panel, private collection (prototype frame)

This 'ala prima' work done at the San Juan Preservation Trust Summer Social (with Plein Air Washington) was graciously photographed by Anni Leedy directly on the ground using a tripod. I think I will be making a floater frame out of straw, grass, dirt and epoxy resin as this frame seems to work well for on-site work.

Ice Cream

2011-08-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

View to Lummi, 8x10", oil on rag mat

When I first started painting in oil 30 years ago I thought it was like playing with multi-colored ice cream. I did this painting yesterday of an alley in Bellingham and the paint once again seemed like melting ice cream as it went on the gessoed mat board. I had someone tell me once that they were tempted to lick my paintings; I took it as a compliment. With all this talk about ice cream it was fortunate Mallard's was a few blocks away on Railroad.

In process, Photo: Trish Harding

Here's the painting about a third of the way along. The Blueberry Sorbet, Coffee-Chip and Orangesicle-Fudge have yet to be added.

Two Sleepers

2011-08-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

Lakeside, 8x10", oil on canvas

These paintings are currently on exhibit at a show in Eastsound. I consider them to be two of my favorites. They do not depict the place specifically but are more about the feel of the scene and an expressive response via broad, thick brushwork, contrast and color.

Bay from 14th, 5x7", oil on flashing

This one was painted on red painted metal flashing which was allowed to show through some of the strokes and at intersecting shapes.

Implied Circles

2011-08-06T11:46:00.000-07:00


Buttercups Poll Pass, 12x16", oil on rag mat, private collection

I painted this in Deer Harbor a few weeks ago and realized that there was a repetition of implied circles throughout the middle ground. I saved the foreground buttercups and grass for last and forswore the detail.

Yellow Flatbed and Turtleback, 12x16", oil on rag mat, Crow Valley Pottery Gallery

Same painting trip but done at the head of Nordstrom's Lane looking at Turtleback. Perhaps only one implied circle here if any. This one was more an attempt to capture the heat of summer and lead you back to the mountain.

On site work - Orcas

2011-07-16T13:07:00.000-07:00


From Wild Rose, 9x12", oil on panel, private collection

I painted this week on Orcas Island for the San Juan Preservation Trust - Plein Air Washington Summer Social and art sale. This is the view from the field where the gathering will be held. It looks over Massacre Bay in Westsound and is below the South Trail-head for Turtleback Mountain Preserve.

Over Hungar's, 6x8", oil on rag mat, private collection

This is a view from Ship Peak on Turtleback Mountain looking east over Nordstrom's Lane. It is a 1.5 mile hike up the mountain but well worth the effort as you get vistas to the south, west and east on the way. It is one of my all time favorite places to be (and to paint).

iPhone photo over Clark Farm

Here is the view looking over Clark Farm. It is fun to see the swallows flying below you and occasionally view a Golden Eagle. The hike is a bit steep in places so I usually pack lightly with a thumbox pochade and limited palette. Got there once to discover I had no white paint. Made for a bit of improvising. For more about the Summer Social on July 30th go here: http://sjpt.org/

Under the Influence

2011-07-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

Chuckanut, 11x14", oil on paper

Had a chat with a friend about the inspiration and/or influences of other artists on this painting. My response was to liken the foreground color and brushwork to Russel Chatham's early small on site work. She saw John Cole's foreground trees and intense blue islands. I have looked again and think of Fairfield Porter's waterfront tree shapes being found by painting the bay into them. It was painted using a limited palette with ultramarine blue and yellow ocre for the greens. I covered the drips and runs or would have to add Todd Horton to the mix. Hopefully with all these other artists running around in this painting there is a bit of me here too.

Flats and not so flat.

2011-06-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

Flats, 26x15", oil on rag mat

There was a very nice tapas place in Fairhaven that served crayons with the drinks or perhaps they were on the table with the silverware. The food would come out as it was prepared and was always quite good. At the end of the meal there were usually drawings on the paper table cloth. This is a painting of the end of a pleasant evening and time drawing with crayons. It is about 26x15" oil on rag mat and titled 'Flats'. Another casualty of the economic downturn here in Bellingham and we miss it.

Turtleback in Blue, 18x26", oil on paper (day 1)

This is the beginning of a painting I started today. It is referring to a smaller piece done on site at Nordstrom's Lane on Orcas. This one will be titled Turtleback in Blue. It is 18x26", oil on paper.

Turtleback in Blue, 18x26", oil on paper, private collection

Here is the completed painting that was in a show on Orcas at Crow Valley Pottery Gallery this summer. Still pretty flat with a bit of modeling here and there.

Times New Roman l, 20x16", oil on canvas

And to show you how 'all over the place' I am, here's an abstract first painted digitally in Painter. It is 20x16", oil on canvas titled Times New Roman l and will likely have resin added to the surface.

ArtWalk feedback

2011-05-07T10:18:00.000-07:00


Yellow Kitchen, 5x7", oil on panel with resin, private collection

Thanks to all who braved the rain and drizzle last night for ArtWalk. It's always fun to chat with old friends and make new ones.

The piece which got the most feedback was the one at right. A painting done from a photo I took in Maine several years ago and finally got around to using in a painting. I don't do many interiors and rarely use such a limited palette. Perhaps it is something I should explore a bit.

Lopez Village, 12x12", oil on canvas with resin

Second most commented upon painting was the image here of Lopez Village which included a grouping of buildings, objects and a 2CV. This is one of a group of pieces to which I have added a polymer resin surface. The resin adds depth and a softening of edges to the work.

Nordstrom's Lane Fall, 14x18", oil on linen

Third in comments was the plein air piece painted on Orcas Island of Nordstrom's Lane and Turtleback Mountain. I have painted the scene at the head of the Lane more times than I can count, but from this vantage point on a few.

Resin Work

2011-05-03T11:42:00.000-07:00


Honey, 5x8", oil on flashing with polymer resin

I have been doing a some polymer resin coated pieces over the past few years. Mostly smaller work in oil done on masonite, flashing, paper or canvas. The resin adds an unusual dimension and depth to the work and seems to soften the edges. Some of the work ends looking like a tile. The piece to the right is a study from Piero di Cosimo's 'The Discovery of Honey'. It is on brown factory painted flashing.

Forest, 5x7", oil on flashing with polymer resin

This piece is an abstraction entitled 'Forest' and was done on aluminum flashing spray painted with Rustoleum blue. The surface is very fast so the paint has to be used thickly from the start.

Redoubt, 9x8", oil on paper with polymer resin

Done using a digital image created in Painter, this is an abstraction of the Redoubt on San Juan Island. It was painted on gessoed hot press watercolor paper, mounted on MDF and then coated with polymer resin. I use Envirotex Lite and wear a respirator.

Lopez Village, 12x12", oil on canvas with polymer resin

Lopez Village has been a birding stop while on the island for many years. We always hope that Holly B's is open and the warm cinnamon buns have not all been consumed. This piece shows a building that was barged from Orcas and the back side of Vita's and Bruce Bott's studio.

Hungar's Fall - the painting's progress.

2011-04-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hungar's Fall, 30x36", oil on terracotta gessoed canvas

I have painted the view from Ship Peak on Turtleback Mountain on Orcas Island several times, moving from more realistic to more abstracted and imagined. This painting is a mixture of two smaller pieces both of which were done on Art Spectrum gessoed and sanded pastel paper. I used AS terracotta gesso as ground on this canvas. Most of it gets covered in the painting process but it sets the key and unifies the positive and negative edges.

Hungar's Fall, 30x36", oil on canvas

Here is the finished painting 3 days later. It holds closely to the original design and has some terracotta edges showing but has changed dramatically.

Re-Art.. Smith and Vallee Gallery through April 30th

2011-04-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

Nikon Box, 8x11", oil on commercial surface mounted on canvas

Since it's Earth Day this may be relevant:

Re-Art Exhibit continues at Smith Vallee Gallery till the end of April. A show of works created using materials destined for the landfill. This piece was done on a disassembled commercially printed box which held some Nikon parts.

Uhu Box, 5x8", oil on commercial surface mounted on canvas

Here is another piece in the exhibit. It is painted on a box in which Uhu Tac came. These pieces were inspired by Richard Diebenkorn's Small Paintings from Ocean Park done on cigar box tops and the NW painters use of any materials at hand.

Pond Hawkins Road

2011-04-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

Pond Hawkins Road,11x14", oil on linen, private collection

This painting was done on Orcas Island at the information sign on the corner of Orcas and Hawkins Road. It was painted with minimal drawing and quite a bit of medium wet in wet. The view it to the east with Mt. Constitution in the background. Wish I could get 'into the zone' (as Bud Leake called it) as I did with this piece more often.