Paintings
Ridlon has been painting with different materials and varying styles since 1966. His preferred material for painting is acrylic because of its fast drying quality. During the past few years he’s made a transition into combining collage and painting into one process; however, there are times that he is drawn to the immediacy of starting and finishing a painting in one setting. Direct painting, with its give and take, serves his nature.
Disney Series
The mixed media pieces comprising the "Disney" series are meant to represent relics from contemporary culture. It's the speculating on what archaeologists will think 1,000 years from now when they discover Mickey and Minnie Mouse during an excavation. Mickey was King, Minnie was Queen, and Pluto was an ambassador.
Feathers
This series was completed in 1994 and 1995 with financial assistance from New York State's Art, Science and Technology and Syracuse Senate Grants. The pieces reflect two years of experimentation with paint and paper involving a variety pouring techniques to explore, control, and organize poured paint. The paint was structured into feather-like shapes in order to create a pleasing aesthetic that integrated colors into recognized patterns. The objective was to control the final results, but with an accidental look. Many of the paintings in the feathered series are diptychs that illustrate complete control over the medium by constructing mirror images.
Local Gardens
This series of paintings was created in 2014-2015. They reflect the local gardens and fields around Cazenovia, N.Y. These works are all direct, spontaneous, on the spot paintings; impressions of garden and field highlights ; subjects that spoke to me as rich, colorful, romantic configurations of color and spirit. All paintings are acrylic on canvas 8" by 10" to 24" by 36". Check for availability.
Garden and Field Impressions
This series of 70 paintings on canvas were created via direct application of acrylic paints with a spatula. The large pieces measure 24" By 36". The paintings were motivated by sketches of local fields and gardens. The smaller 8"x 14” acrylic on canvas paintings served as inspirations for the larger “Garden and Field Impression series." These paintings also served as experiments with color, texture and shape with a focus on dramatic composition. The bulk of these works have been sold or acquired.
Summer Studies
The paintings in the "Summer Studies" series are acrylic on canvas and measure 20" x 30." They represent the gardens and fields in the Cazenovia, New York area at different times during the summer. Many of these paintings were acquired by LeMoyne Collage or sold to private collectors. Check for availability.
