Biography

Living in Northwest England on the southern fringe of the reknowned Lake District was a great place for a kid to explore. My family lived on the small island of Walney on the Irish Sea. My earliest drawings are in a sketchbook I filled with "stuff" and I remember vividly the day my father took it upon himself to add two wonderful sketches, one of a cave man wielding an animal bone while chasing a tramp, and the other of our living room, complete with budgerigar "Peter's" cage. I still have that sketchbook. I was seven years old and do believe that this was, for better or worse, the only drawing lesson that my father ever gave me.

In 1956 we emigrated to the United States, settling in the suburbs of Chicago. It was when I entered 7th grade that my fascination with art began. Our principal, Miss. Nettie J. McKinnon, had been purchasing original paintings and bronzes for the school collection for many years. The monies for purchasing these works were actually raised by the students each year by selling magazine subscriptions through the Curtis Publishing Company. I would venture to guess that most of the students over the years did not really appreciate the fruits of their labor, but I do remember the day that a portrait by the eminent painter, John Singer Sargent arrived and was hung in the art room. Miss. McKinnon had an uncanny eye for both quality and investment potential.......today the collection is valued in the millions.

An influential mentor in my teens was noted marine artist, Charles Vickery. Charles had a studio in my home town and always had his most recent masterpiece displayed in his studio window. Eventually I was brave enough to enter his studio to show my work and, over time, as my work began to show some promise, allowed to join him and his cronies on Saturday mornings over donuts and coffee in the studio to discuss painting and how it was possible to make a living at the easel if you are willing to make sacrifices and learn how to starve gracefully.

Insisting on painting in a representational manner during the 1960's when art was going in different directions was not a pathway to successfully pursuing a career in art. Instead, I opted to get my degree, much to my father's pleasure in my other area of interest, the natural sciences. My father was a pragmatist. You could'nt make a living as an artist. He was right of course and I fondly recall all the small five to fifteen dollar paintings I sold for spending money. That began to change however as I worked to hone my skills and get serious about painting.

One of my favorite places to hang out was Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. I had taken an interest in painting animals, especially birds. Dr. Emmett Reid Blake, Curator Emeritus of Birds, allowed me access to the Museum's collections and was instrumental in furthering my career in 1975 by recommending to the Chicago Tribune Magazine that my paintings be used in a feature article on birds of the Midwest.

It was at the same time that I had landed the position of artist/naturalist with a County Forest Preserve District outside Chicago, lecturing on natural history topics and teaching environmental education. It was a wonderful job, but five years later the increasing demand for studio painting also became a full-time job. The turning point came in a letter from Terry Shortt, known as the dean of Canadian bird painters who had a long association with the Royal Ontario Museum. He explained that it was time for me to concentrate on what I really enjoyed, painting the natural world. In 1979 my wife and I threw caution to the wind, pulled up stakes, cashed everything in and headed to Southwest Wisconsin where we built a home and studio on fifty acres.

A lot has happened since 1979. Works have been shown in over eighty museums here and abroad and have been featured at Christie's South Kensington Galleries in London and other British venues. I have had the honor of winning three Wisconsin Waterfowl Stamp competitions, the first in 1984 and again in 1992 and 2003. Work has been selected for fourteen years into the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's prestigious "Birds in Art" exhibitions in Wausau, Wisconsin. Three works reside in their permanent collection. Works are also in the permanent collections of the Miller Art Museum, Sturgeon Bay, WI., the Thomasville Cultural Center, Thomasville, GA,. Rossignol Cultural Center, Nova Scotia, and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. Tucson, AZ. A highlight in 1996 was being elected into the Society of Animal Artists in New York and being awarded the Society's Award of Excellence bronze medal. In 2001 I was fortunate to be elected into Chicago's Palette & Chisel Academy of Art, and more recently, inclusion in the book, Famous Wisconsin Artists and Architects by Hannah Heidi Levy and membership in the International Guild of Realism.

Although best known for natural history paintings and scientific illustration, my work in the late 90's began to shift toward Trompe L'Oeil. It was not an intentional shift in painting but simply a refreshing break. It was technically demanding, I could use my imagination, it was totally speculative and best of all, it was fun. An aspect of natural history still creeps into most pieces however. Some works deal with social, political or environmental commentary, while others invite the viewer into interpreting the painted image. These recent paintings have been featured in American Artist Magazine, Acrylic Highlights Magazine and American Art Collector. Museums exhibiting these new works include the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI., the American Numismatic Museum, Colorado Springs, CO., and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ.


				*Trompe L'Oeil Paintings by Michael James Riddet* *Biography*



	Home \| Miniatures by Karen Riddet \| Paintings 1 \| Paintings 2 \| Paintings 3 \| Paintings 4 \| Paintings 5 \| Wildlife Paintings \| Biography \| Inquiries \| Exhibitions and Openings


		About the Artist Living in Northwest England on the southern fringe of the reknowned Lake District was a great place for a kid to explore. My family lived on the small island of Walney on the Irish Sea. My earliest drawings are in a sketchbook I filled with "stuff" and I remember vividly the day my father took it upon himself to add two wonderful sketches, one of a cave man wielding an animal bone while chasing a tramp, and the other of our living room, complete with budgerigar "Peter's" cage. I still have that sketchbook. I was seven years old and do believe that this was, for better or worse, the only drawing lesson that my father ever gave me. In 1956 we emigrated to the United States, settling in the suburbs of Chicago. It was when I entered 7th grade that my fascination with art began. Our principal, Miss. Nettie J. McKinnon, had been purchasing original paintings and bronzes for the school collection for many years. The monies for purchasing these works were actually raised by the students each year by selling magazine subscriptions through the Curtis Publishing Company. I would venture to guess that most of the students over the years did not really appreciate the fruits of their labor, but I do remember the day that a portrait by the eminent painter, John Singer Sargent arrived and was hung in the art room. Miss. McKinnon had an uncanny eye for both quality and investment potential.......today the collection is valued in the millions. An influential mentor in my teens was noted marine artist, Charles Vickery. Charles had a studio in my home town and always had his most recent masterpiece displayed in his studio window. Eventually I was brave enough to enter his studio to show my work and, over time, as my work began to show some promise, allowed to join him and his cronies on Saturday mornings over donuts and coffee in the studio to discuss painting and how it was possible to make a living at the easel if you are willing to make sacrifices and learn how to starve gracefully. Insisting on painting in a representational manner during the 1960's when art was going in different directions was not a pathway to successfully pursuing a career in art. Instead, I opted to get my degree, much to my father's pleasure in my other area of interest, the natural sciences. My father was a pragmatist. You could'nt make a living as an artist. He was right of course and I fondly recall all the small five to fifteen dollar paintings I sold for spending money. That began to change however as I worked to hone my skills and get serious about painting. One of my favorite places to hang out was Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. I had taken an interest in painting animals, especially birds. Dr. Emmett Reid Blake, Curator Emeritus of Birds, allowed me access to the Museum's collections and was instrumental in furthering my career in 1975 by recommending to the Chicago Tribune Magazine that my paintings be used in a feature article on birds of the Midwest. It was at the same time that I had landed the position of artist/naturalist with a County Forest Preserve District outside Chicago, lecturing on natural history topics and teaching environmental education. It was a wonderful job, but five years later the increasing demand for studio painting also became a full-time job. The turning point came in a letter from Terry Shortt, known as the dean of Canadian bird painters who had a long association with the Royal Ontario Museum. He explained that it was time for me to concentrate on what I really enjoyed, painting the natural world. In 1979 my wife and I threw caution to the wind, pulled up stakes, cashed everything in and headed to Southwest Wisconsin where we built a home and studio on fifty acres. A lot has happened since 1979. Works have been shown in over eighty museums here and abroad and have been featured at Christie's South Kensington Galleries in London and other British venues. I have had the honor of winning three Wisconsin Waterfowl Stamp competitions, the first in 1984 and again in 1992 and 2003. Work has been selected for fourteen years into the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's prestigious "Birds in Art" exhibitions in Wausau, Wisconsin. Three works reside in their permanent collection. Works are also in the permanent collections of the Miller Art Museum, Sturgeon Bay, WI., the Thomasville Cultural Center, Thomasville, GA,. Rossignol Cultural Center, Nova Scotia, and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. Tucson, AZ. A highlight in 1996 was being elected into the Society of Animal Artists in New York and being awarded the Society's Award of Excellence bronze medal. In 2001 I was fortunate to be elected into Chicago's Palette & Chisel Academy of Art, and more recently, inclusion in the book, Famous Wisconsin Artists and Architects by Hannah Heidi Levy and membership in the International Guild of Realism. Although best known for natural history paintings and scientific illustration, my work in the late 90's began to shift toward Trompe L'Oeil. It was not an intentional shift in painting but simply a refreshing break. It was technically demanding, I could use my imagination, it was totally speculative and best of all, it was fun. An aspect of natural history still creeps into most pieces however. Some works deal with social, political or environmental commentary, while others invite the viewer into interpreting the painted image. These recent paintings have been featured in American Artist Magazine, Acrylic Highlights Magazine and American Art Collector. Museums exhibiting these new works include the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI., the American Numismatic Museum, Colorado Springs, CO., and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ.