Dermod Ruddock, Clitheroe, Ribble Valley, Lancashire, UK, Fine Art

Dermod Ruddock – “My paintings are inspired by light, colour, dramatic landscapes and the wonders of nature.

Encouraged by my mother and an inspirational art teacher at secondary school, I’ve enjoyed drawing and painting for most of my life. After a career in graphic design and primary school teaching, and many years painting part-time, with exhibitions all over the UK, I decided to turn all my energies to a career in painting about seven years ago.

For me, lighting and colour are vital… it could be a storm over a Welsh bay… or vibrant siesta time on a Greek island… or deep shadows as evening falls over the Northern English mountains. My influences include impressionists, expressionists, colourists – greats such as Cezanne, Kandinsky, de Vlaminck, Matisse, Peploe and Diebenkorn – each helping my work to leap off the canvas.

I’ve also valued the importance of draftsmanship too. I see every painting an opportunity to experiment and evolve my ideas. I call my style of oil painting (using oil bars/pigment sticks – chunky sticks of artists’ quality oil paint in stick form) ‘expressionist realism’…and every picture has its roots in powerful drawing. I make sure that I draw and paint every day, frequently outdoors, capturing fleeting moments for future reference…

Every painting, including commissioned work, captures a moment in time. Each is colourful, exuberant and bursting with life. They are extremely special and dearly loved by their owners…

TRAINING

I grew up in Edinburgh and trained at Cheltenham College of Art and Bristol Polytechnic, finishing in 1985 with a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design. Ten years in that profession took me all over the country before I re-trained as a Secondary Art Teacher in 1996. I had a great time developing the art and design teaching in two of our local Clitheroe schools until July 2014. Since then I have concentrated on my career as a fine artist, and the time I have out in the countryside and in my studio is unbelievable. I’m truly able to develop a passion that has been bubbling away for over 20 years…

EXHIBITIONS

These have included: Oriel Plas Glyn-y-Weddw, Llanbedrog, Wales; Caban Celf Ty Gwyn Art Cabin, Morfa Nefyn, Wales; Atelier Arts, Platform Gallery, Steward’s Gallery & Longitude Gallery, Clitheroe, England; Vermilion Art Studios, Knutsford, England; Legacy Arts & Creative with Nature, Todmorden, England; Torrance Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland; Haworth Gallery & Buffalo Studios, Accrington, England; Art in the Pen, Skipton, England 2016, 2017 & 2019; Chester Arts Fair, Chester, England 2016, 2017 & 2018 and a number of pop-up shows from 2014 to 2020. My work has been on show frequently since 1991, in many British galleries: in Lancashire and Yorkshire, Edinburgh, Beauly, Speyside, Poole, Cheltenham, North Wales, and Ulster, and online since 1998.

COLLECTIONS

Work is held in private collections, mainly in Great Britain and Ireland, but also in Austria, Denmark, Greece, Australia and the USA.

www.dermodruddockartist.com

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druddock.002@gmail.com

07972199967

Main Studio: Atelier Arts

Bowland Chambers

Harris Court

Wellgate

Clitheroe