ARTIST'S STATEMENT:

Still-life is a contradiction in terms.  All things are alive.  Nature is kinetic, and overflows with living designs. By mimesis and imagination the artist participates organically in this ongoing process.

     I made my first paintings after receiving a set of Sargent oil paints in the brown corrugated cardboard box for my 8th birthday.  I'm author of five books, including three novels, and was a member of the faculties of Yale University (1963-71) and The Ohio State University (1971-91) where I am Emeritus Professor of English.  Between teaching stints I spent a pleasant, productive year as a Fellow in The Center for Advanced Study, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, writing a novel about a wild and wooly artist named Prince Elmo.  For over two decades I was a jazz musician: painting is more than a little like improvising on a melody.  Making art is a journey of discovery, an exhilarating treasure hunt.  My paintings aspire to serve as humble pieces in the Great Puzzle, and to provide a modicum of comfort and happiness.

Personal Website-   www.ernestlockridge.net