Bringing Good Feelings – Michael Ethridge
My Journey Home - Michael Ethridge
There is something special about Michael Ethridge’s abstract expressionist paintings. Perhaps it is the way that bright and soothing colors combine on his canvas so enchantingly, so organically. Perhaps it is the implied landscapes that these colors hint at, elegant forms that rise within the canvas. Perhaps it is the way that looking at one of Michael Ethridge’s paintings feels exactly like conjuring up a happy memory from the past. A sense of peace falls over the viewer as he observes Ethridge’s work.
A native of Arkansas, Ethridge will be visiting Santa Fe for the entire month of July. From July 10th through the 16th, Ethridge will be painting on the sidewalk outside of Waxlander Gallery. The week will culminate in an Artist’s Reception held on Friday, July 13th, from 5 to 7 PM. Ethridge hopes to meet and converse with as many passers-by as possible. “The interaction with the people on Canyon Road is huge to me,” Ethridge says, “I’m not reclusive at all. Many artists are introverts; I’m just the opposite.”
During his years as an entertainer on cruise ships, Ethridge drew inspiration from the energy of those around him and from the many conversations that he had with travelers at the piano bar. Now, as a painter, he finds inspiration in connecting with other artists and chatting with those who stop to view his art. “It creates new energy,” he says.
The chance to converse with the good-natured and renowned artist is a treat for viewers, as well. Ethridge’s representational abstract landscapes are shown in galleries across the country. His work was even selected to be in the movie Nothing But the Truth, starring Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, and Alan Alda. The bold, uplifting colors that Ethridge utilizes—as we all the sense of movement that he creates in all of his paintings—combine to fulfill his mission as an artist: to “bring good feeling to the people who collect [his] work.”
Ethridge is excited to immerse himself once again in Santa Fe’s lively art community. “The nature of the surroundings and the energy that I feel when I come [to Santa Fe] is quite impressive to me,” he says. We have reason to believe that Santa Fe feels the same way about him.
Michael Ethridge will be painting outside of Waxlander Gallery from July 10th-16th. The week will culminate in an Artist’s Reception held at Waxlander on Friday, July 13th, from 5-7 PM.
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