Today we’d like to introduce you to Clint Riddle.
Clint, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Absolutely. I was brought up artistically under my mother’s tutelage. She was an incredible Art teacher in Fort Worth public schools, with national recognition, and I’ve encountered several of her former students that validate the fruition of her legacy.
Her passion for art provided me with ample opportunity for art making. Thankfully my parents didn’t mind me painting walls, doors, even my floor or me making installations in the backyard. I maintained this passion for art going into college and was broken then reassembled by the liberal arts system.
After a fine arts degree in visual arts and education I followed in Mom’s footsteps and am an art teacher. Most teachers supplement income for their summer break via jobs like landscaping or seasonal customer service. I worked these jobs and felt like I was wasting my training from college and decided to focus on painting. A few groups show and a couple gallery sales later I realized that painting could be a supplemental income that is… well, is more fun than the other options.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I make paintings. Usually a combination of Aerosol, oil, and acrylic on wood panels or canvas. My artwork explores the visual composition of “conversations” in current events, politics, race, religion and other things you’re told not to talk about at the dinner table. One avenue for these “conversations” utilizes the allusive imagery of plastic figurines and the multifaceted meanings they can hold.
In more current pieces I have started intertwining the objects in my paintings to focus on the multiple sides of a “conversation”. I like for the content to look like its wrapped around itself and woven together. I feel like the cyclical movement teamed with the binding appearance helps illustrate the back and forth of the “conversation”.
As a married father of four, I feel one of arts many responsibilities is to bring attention to issues that cause an existential reevaluation.
Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
Not at all. Throughout history Artists have used their abilities to communicate their concerns and opinions about the direction their world. This time of national disagreement and international turmoil is just another chapter in the same book. I do think it sucks that the chapters are becoming more redundant. The current events are a fuel for my artwork. As a parent, teacher, Christian, Texan, and American I have been over saturated with conversations about gun control. My most recent pieces subtly address aspects of this issue.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
The easiest way to see my work is Instagram. @riddlesart I have pieces on display in Munger Place Church in Dallas and Springdale Baptist church in Fort Worth. The best way to support any artist would be to buy their work, but a follow, like, or constructive criticism online is always appreciated.
Contact Info:
- Email: clintlloydriddle@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riddlesart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riddlesartwork/
- Other: https://www.vangoart.co/clint-riddle
Image Credit:
Clint Riddle
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