Michael Ethridge
Something seems to happen when Michael Ethridge walks into a room. It's a subtle thing, but if you watch closely, Ethridge, in an understated sort of way, almost commands attention, not because of an aggressive, standout personality, but because others immediately sense a certain passion about him to which they are instinctively drawn. To sit with Ethridge for a time of conversation is a pleasant, if not, soothing experience. As he reflects on his values, he can't help but express where's he's come from, who he is, and it makes it all the more understandable to see where he's going. It's his foreseeable destination that creates interest in his work and causes people to have great curiosity in knowing more about this man. "There's just a compassion for life that translates into art and music," Ethridge says. "My life has really been a series of extraordinary events. It's a love for life that is an extension of who I am. As a professional musician in previous years, I understand how art and music can have a medicinal quality that may enhance a person's life with healing properties for the heart and the soul. My ability to translate those messages transcends what I sometimes understand. It's an awesome thing to be able to share something that comes from my own creative spirit." Ethridge, now seen as one of the up-and-coming abstract expressionists in the country, has found his place. It's a calling that has been coming to the surface over time. Having been the child protégé of his mother, a professional painter in her own right Michael's inherited talent manifests itself on each and every canvas. Now, he sees himself in the midst of the calling and there is a series of uncanny events unfolding before his artistic eye. Ethridge's technique has emerged from hours of abstract painting. Today, his passion causes him to believe that every day is "urgent," and he is not one to squander time. "This is what my life is made of," he says. As Ethridge enters his studio for a day of work the atmosphere is set in such a way to help him draw from his inner self. There is always music playing in the background. It ignites a fire. It sets a mood for the man who's had considerable success as a musician as well. Now, the music is set, the colors are chosen and the inspiration allows the painting begin to emerge. "You know there are degrees of tone in music, and there is tone in paint as well. Music goes hand-in-hand with art. Painting really is a voice, though, it's just communicated through the brush." Tone, voice, chromatic scheme and orchestration "...for me these words paint a great analogy of the relationship between art and music." Now, the canvas becomes Ethridge's playground. "I'll study the canvas and consider how things will be orchestrated. There is an instinctive order to how it all inevitably comes together." Color and movement are central to his work, and it's at this point where, for Ethridge, has become tangible. Texture typically completes an Ethridge piece as he uses it to create a sometimes entirely different feeling through the use of a third dimension. "As it all comes together, it begins to create its own spirit and mood,” he said. While there is consistency and style, you never know just exactly where it may go on a given day." "The individuality and creativity of an artist can be shown in such a personal and unique way in the area of abstract art. Feelings, ideas and the human spirit are depicted with great freedom in this genre to which I so closely identify." Ethridge currently has works on display at Waxlander Gallery 622 Canyon Road in Santa Fe.
