Show Preview | Edward Aldrich

Evergreen, CO
Evergreen Fine Art, October 1-29

Edward Aldrich, Only the Heartiest, oil, 10 x 14.

Edward Aldrich, Only the Heartiest, oil, 10 x 14.

This story was featured in the October 2016 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art  October 2016 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

Guests attending the opening of Evergreen Fine Art’s solo show for wildlife painter Edward Aldrich, on Saturday, October 1, from 2 to 5 p.m., might notice that he seems remarkably at home as he greets his many fans and offers a brief talk about his latest oils. “Ned’s a local guy,” notes gallery director Doug Kacena. “It might surprise people to learn that a nationally renowned artist lives right down the street from us in Golden, about 15 minutes away.” Such proximity will enable Aldrich to pop back into the gallery about two weeks after the opening, says Kacena, to offer an informal painting demo and another brief talk.

Aldrich’s latest canvases are governed by a similarly local sensibility. “I’ve been sticking closer to home,” he says. “I used to do a lot more exotic animals and go on trips to Africa. But there are so many great western American species to paint, from grizzly bears to mountain goats, wolves to snowy owls, deer to bald eagles.” These and “other creatures feathered or furred” feature in a new body of work, which Aldrich has collectively titled A Walk in the Wild, ranging in size from 8 by 10 inches to 30 by 40 inches or even larger.

Expect to see a range of approaches as well. “People will notice that some of my works are a bit more tightly rendered and realistic, while others show more brushwork,” Aldrich points out. Adds Kacena, “You’ll see some that are almost portrait vignettes, with a background of more loosely blocked-in colors. Others might show animals in a more atmospheric setting, like a bison in a cloud of dust it kicked up. And occasionally he’ll do a really grand landscape in which the animals are less of a focal point.”

Regardless of the paintings’ particular subjects or styles, one thing collectors of Aldrich’s work can expect is the faithfully accurate, vividly lifelike depiction of his subjects. “Ned doesn’t source stock images online for his reference materials,” says Kacena. “He conscientiously goes out into the wild and searches for his subjects.”

Aldrich explains that he’s constantly striving for well-observed verisimilitude. “In my portrait pieces,” he offers by way of example, “I try to give a sense of that individual animal, up close and personal, down to the subtle nuances of its fur or feathers. But when I show it in a landscape, the painting is more about the relationship between the animal and its environment.”

Aldrich discusses such themes during his appearances at the gallery. “I’m sure I’ll talk a little about my stylistic approaches and what I was trying to say in specific pieces,” he says. “In art, there’s always so much speculation about meaning. I think collectors find it interesting to hear from artists themselves about what their thoughts and inspirations were.” —Norman Kolpas

contact information
303.679.3610
www.evergreenfineart.com

This story was featured in the October 2016 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art  October 2016 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

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