Michael James Riddet (1947-) Contemporary,
Medium: Acrylic on board
Image Size: 9.5” x 12.5”
Frame Size: 13.5” x 16.5”
Signature: Signed lower right
Price: $2800
Biography/Statement
Although best known for 30 years as a painter of natural history, a new direction began in 1997 when Riddet began exploring the techniques and history of Trompe l’Oeil painting. Today, the majority of his easel work is in this style.
Born in Northwest England in 1947 on the southern fringe of England’s famed Lake District, Michael Riddet was surrounded by an environment that was to leave an indelible image of natural beauty. His family emigrated to the U.S. and settled in Illinois in 1956. It wasn’t until his early teens that a keen interest in painting was rekindled when introduced to the art collection hanging on the walls of his middle school walls, a collection amassed by the school principal, Nettie J. McKinnon with funds raised from magazine subscriptions sold by the students. Each year, McKinnon would carefully select what she felt were “good” pieces of work from both American and European painters. A portrait by John Singer Sargent was added and hung in Riddet’s art room in 1960. Today, the “Nettie J. McKinnon Collection of American Art” is priceless.
Being surrounded by great art in school and access to work of marine painter, Charles Vickery, who had a studio in the same town, were the catalysts that prompted Riddet to seriously think of pursuing an artistic journey. Vickery encouraged the young artist, and regular Saturday morning studio chat sessions with other professional painters only heated the desire to paint full time. Vickery’s philosophy was that it was possible to make a living at the easel if you are willing to make sacrifices and starve graciously.
American painters who had the greatest early influence on Riddet were John Audubon and Andrew Wyeth, but Riddet’s preoccupation with this naturalistic realism and tight rendering did not fit in with the art worlds’ or university’s preoccupation with Modernism during the 60’s so he pursued a degree at Roosevelt University in Chicago in his other area of interest, the natural sciences. This turned out to be a wise decision as he landed a day job job as artist/naturalist with a local forest preserve district designing exhibits, writing, lecturing and teaching environmental education.
His efforts turned to the easel at night painting natural history subjects for an ever increasing number of clients. A big break came in 1975 when Emmett Reid Blake, Curator Emeritus of Birds at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History recommended to the Chicago Tribune Magazine that they use Riddet’s work to accompany a story on birds of the Midwest. At the same time, the dean of Canadian bird painters, Terence Shortt, recommended that Riddet paint full time.
As easel work increased and a major commission on African birds for Animal Kingdom Magazine began to take up most of his time, Riddet and his wife decided to pull up stakes, cash everything in and cast all common sense to the wind. In 1979 they purchased fifty acres in Southwest Wisconsin and designed and built their house and studios.
His originals have now been shown in over 60 museums here and abroad. Michael Riddet was elected in 1996 to the Society of Animal Artists and has received the bronze medal of excellence. He was elected into the Chicago Palette & Chisel Academy of Art in 2001, and is also a member of the International Guild of Realism. The transition to trompe l’oeil painting was not a conscious decision initially, but he found it technically challenging and inventive, allowing imagination and occasionally humor to dictate the subject material. He also admits that it is pure “fun”. An aspect of natural history is still found in most works and occasionaly a social, political or environmental message. Some works simply invite the viewer into interpreting the painted image.
Artist Profile Page: Riddet, Michael James / Categories: Trompe L'Oeil
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Mike Theise (1959-) Contemporary, American
Medium: Oil on Panel
Image Size: 24” x 18”
Frame Size: 32” x 26”
Signature: Signed on bill
Price: $6500
Biography/Statement
Michael Theise is an American master of the trompe l’oeil genre. Born in the Bronx and raised in Milford, Connecticut, Theise graduated from the nearby Paier School of Art in Hamden, where he studied under another trompe l’oeil master, Ken Davies. While studying under Davies, Theise experimented with realism, primarily by painting African wildlife with intense attention to detail. His passion segued naturally into trompe l’oeil, as he began using objects of compelling interest in his compositions. Captivated by the new direction of his painting, Theise dedicated himself to the trompe l’oeil tradition. Today, Theise is recognized nationally for compositions that employ diverse subjects such as American currency, playing cards, game boards, portrait miniatures, and nods to Rembrandt Peale, John Singer Sargeant, and Jackson Pollock to create visual allegories. “People look at trompe thinking it’s been pushed to its limit,” Theise says. “But I’m always looking for ways to take it further.” Michael Theise has exhibited extensively for the past two decades. The Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme, Connecticut has held four highly successful solo shows since 1992. Theise also exhibited at Vose Galleries and the St. Botolph’s Club, both in Boston. In October 2008, the New Britain Museum of American Art opened Theise’s first major museum exhibition, The Eye Deceived: Paintings by Michael Theise.
Artist Profile Page: Theise, Mike / Categories: Trompe L'Oeil
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Rebecca Cuming (1956-) Contemporary, American
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Image Size: 16” x 20”
Frame Size: 17” x 21”
Signature: Signed lower right
Price: $2400
Biography/Statement
EDUCATION
1977-1980 BFA (honors) School of Visual Arts, New York, NY (Luccio Pozzi, Elizabeth Murrary)
EXHIBITIONS
2017 Pirate Contemporary Art 36th anniversary exhibition, Denver ,CO
2016 State Capitol "The Field" Denver ,CO
2016 Pirate Contemporary Art solo "New Work" Denver , CO
2016 Goodwin Fine Art " Open Stacks" Denver,CO
2016 Pirate Contemporary Art 35th anniversary show Denver , CO
2015 Pirate Contemporary Art solo Denver, CO
2015 Thronton Cultural Center , Thornton, CO
2014 1st BANK Center Solo 10/14-1/15 Broomfield,CO
2014 Pirate Contemporary Art solo "recent paintings" Denver,CO
2014 Redline " Intersections" Jurors Michael Paglia, Denver,CO
2014 On Edge EDGE Gallery juried by Michael Burnett Denver,CO
2014 Icebreaker National group show ( Clifford Still Museum ) Denver, CO
2014 Pirate Contemporary Art 34th anniversary member show Denver, CO
2013 Lincoln Art Center "There’s No PLace Like Home" Fort Collins, CO
2013 Firehouse Art Center invitational Longmont,CO
2013 CORE New Art Space juried "Flora Fauna Figura" Denver, CO
2013 Denver Modernism Show juried by Adam Lerner (MCA)Denver,CO
2013 CORE New Art Space " Horizontal Line" Best Of Show, Denver CO
2013 Pirate Contemporary Art "Open Space" solo Denver , CO
2013 Pirate Contemporary Art 33rd anniversary member show Denver, CO
2013 Arvada Art Center " California (Clifford Still Museum director)
2013 Pirate Contemporary Art juried by Adam Lerner (MCA) Denver, CO
2013 Edge gallery juried exhibition, Denver, CO
2012 Juried National Show Fort Collins, CO
2011 Allan Stone Gallery, New York, NY
2011 Teal Gallery, Breckingridge, CO
2011 Juried “Recycle“ Broomfield Art Guild Broomfield, CO
2011 Juried “Rough Ruffles“ Dairy Center For The Arts, Boulder, CO
2010 Allan Stone Gallery, New York,NY
2010 Teal gallery, Breckingridge, CO
2009 Teal Gallery, Breckingridge, CO
2008 Allan Stone Gallery,New York, NY
2008 The Harrison Gallery, Williamstown, MA
2007 “Talent“ Allan Stone Gallery, New York, NY
2007 “Interpretations of Landscape: Wilson Gallery, Birmingham, AL
2006 Maralyn Wilson Gallery, Birmingham, AL
2006 Clark Galleries, Stowe, VT
2006 Mary Bryan Memorial Gallery, Jeffersonville, VT
2005 HW juried Group, Broomfield, CO
2005 The Harrison Gallery “ Williamstown” Williamstown, MA
2005 “Women Artists” Mary Brian Memorial Gallery, Jeffersonville, VT
2004-5 Group, The Harrison Gallery, Williamstown, MA
2004 Group, Allan Stone Gallery, New York, NY
2003-4 “IV Centuries of Birds” Clark Galleries, Stowe, VT, Palm Beach FL
2003 “Talent” Allan Stone Gallery, New York, NY
2003 The Harrison Gallery , Williamstown, MA
2003 “The Flower Show” The Harrison Gallery, Williamstown , MA
2003 “Water” Tamarack Gallery, Craftsbury, VT
2002 Tamarack Gallery, Craftsbury, VT
2001 “Invitational Land and Sea," Jeffersonville, VT
2001 40th Anniversary Exhibition, Allan Stone Gallery, New York, NY
2001 “Talent: Allan Stone Gallery, New York, NY
2000 Invitational Land and Light," Jeffersonville, VT
2000 “Small Works” Mary Bryan Memorial Gallery, Jeffersonville, VT
1998 “Talent” Allan Stone Gallery, New York, NY
1997 “Talent” Allan Stone Gallery , New York, NY
1996 “Talent” Allan Stone gallery, New York, NY
1995 “Talent Allan Stone Gallery, New York, NY
1995 Wingspread Gallery, Northeast harbor, ME
1995 Maine Coast Artist Gallery, (Juried Group) Rockport, ME
1994 Gallery Jupiter, Little Silver, NJ
1994 Windsor Gallery, Windsor, VT
1993 Studio Gallery, Northeast harbor, ME
1993 “Night Light” ( Juried )Barn Gallery, Ogunquit, ME
1990 “Maine, Next Generation” Sumner School Museum, Washington, DC
1990 Borchardt Gallery West Palm Beach, FL
1987-6 Lavaggi Gallery Soho, New York, NY
1984-5 “Disposable Art” Kamikaze Club, New York, NY
1983 Bonlow Gallery, Soho, New York, NY
1980 Visual Arts Gallery, Tribeca, New York, NY
1979 Perry Gallery, New Hope, PA
1979 Phillips Mill Gallery, New Hope PA
1977 Studio Gallery, Red Bank NJ
1974 “Young Artists Of New Jersey” Washington , DC
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2016 Pirate Contemporary Art, Denver ,CO
2015 Pirate Contemporary Art, Denver, CO
2014 Pirate Contemporary Art, Denver, CO
2013 Pirtae Contemporary Art Denver , CO
2004 The Harrison Gallery, Williamstown, MA
2003 Helen Day Art Center, Stowe, VT
2001 Green Mountain Art Gallery, Stowe, VT
1999 Allan Stone Gallery, New York, NY
1995 Creative Living Center Gallery, Blue Hill, ME
1992 Gallery 68, Belfast, ME
1991 Wingspread gallery, Northeast Harbor, ME
1989 Northeast harbor Gallery, Northeast Harbor, ME
1984 Christminster Gallery, New York , NY
1982 Thompson Park Museum, Lincroft, NJ
1978 Perry Gallery, New Hope, PA
AWARDS
2014 "Prairie Blanket" " No PLace Like Home," Center Fort Collins ,CO
2013 Best of Show "Bloom," Denver CO
2011 Best of Show Juried Group “Recycle” Broomfield,CO
2006 Best of Show Juried group “H W" Broomfield, CO
2002 “Art For Art Sake”, Stowe, VT First Place, Oil
2001 “Art For Art Sake”, Stowe, VT First Place, Artist Choice award
2000 “Art For Art Sake”, Stowe, VT First Place, Oil
1990 Sumner School Museum and the Senate Building, Washington, DC
1974 The National Gallery, Washington , DC
1970 First Place Red Bank, NJ
1969 First Place, Middletown, Nj
Artist Profile Page: Cuming, Rebecca / Categories: Still Life, Trompe L'Oeil
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Mike Theise (1959-) Contemporary, American
Medium: Oil on Paenl
Image Size: 42” x 36”
Frame Size: 50” x 44”
Signature: Signed on $500 bill
Price: SOLD
Biography/Statement
Michael Theise is an American master of the trompe l’oeil genre. Born in the Bronx and raised in Milford, Connecticut, Theise graduated from the nearby Paier School of Art in Hamden, where he studied under another trompe l’oeil master, Ken Davies. While studying under Davies, Theise experimented with realism, primarily by painting African wildlife with intense attention to detail. His passion segued naturally into trompe l’oeil, as he began using objects of compelling interest in his compositions. Captivated by the new direction of his painting, Theise dedicated himself to the trompe l’oeil tradition. Today, Theise is recognized nationally for compositions that employ diverse subjects such as American currency, playing cards, game boards, portrait miniatures, and nods to Rembrandt Peale, John Singer Sargeant, and Jackson Pollock to create visual allegories. “People look at trompe thinking it’s been pushed to its limit,” Theise says. “But I’m always looking for ways to take it further.” Michael Theise has exhibited extensively for the past two decades. The Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme, Connecticut has held four highly successful solo shows since 1992. Theise also exhibited at Vose Galleries and the St. Botolph’s Club, both in Boston. In October 2008, the New Britain Museum of American Art opened Theise’s first major museum exhibition, The Eye Deceived: Paintings by Michael Theise.
Artist Profile Page: Theise, Mike / Categories: Trompe L'Oeil
Other Available Works by this Artist:
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Mike Theise (1959-) Contemporary, American
Medium: Oil on Panel
Image Size: 12” x 9”
Frame Size: 16” x 13”
Signature: Signed on $500 bill
Price: SOLD
Biography/Statement
Michael Theise is an American master of the trompe l’oeil genre. Born in the Bronx and raised in Milford, Connecticut, Theise graduated from the nearby Paier School of Art in Hamden, where he studied under another trompe l’oeil master, Ken Davies. While studying under Davies, Theise experimented with realism, primarily by painting African wildlife with intense attention to detail. His passion segued naturally into trompe l’oeil, as he began using objects of compelling interest in his compositions. Captivated by the new direction of his painting, Theise dedicated himself to the trompe l’oeil tradition. Today, Theise is recognized nationally for compositions that employ diverse subjects such as American currency, playing cards, game boards, portrait miniatures, and nods to Rembrandt Peale, John Singer Sargeant, and Jackson Pollock to create visual allegories. “People look at trompe thinking it’s been pushed to its limit,” Theise says. “But I’m always looking for ways to take it further.” Michael Theise has exhibited extensively for the past two decades. The Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme, Connecticut has held four highly successful solo shows since 1992. Theise also exhibited at Vose Galleries and the St. Botolph’s Club, both in Boston. In October 2008, the New Britain Museum of American Art opened Theise’s first major museum exhibition, The Eye Deceived: Paintings by Michael Theise.
Artist Profile Page: Theise, Mike / Categories: Trompe L'Oeil
Other Available Works by this Artist:
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