Brad Aldridge

Brad Aldridge describes his work as iconographic landscape. “For me, aspects of the landscape often take on a personal spiritual symbolism. For example, clouds or the moon in my paintings often alludes to the metaphys￾ical aspect of life, whereas trees may refer to the more tangible or physical. My art is often about a dialogue between the two. Occasionally, I use figures to further emphasize the spiritual narrative. Triptych, arch, and tabernacle altarpiece formats give the viewer visual clues to the underlying spiritual content of my work. Large gold frames also contribute to the iconographic feel of my art. “My paintings are, for the most part, oil on masonite. The surfaces are usually quite textured. These textures are caused by sanding, scraping, and scratching the gesso. My plein-air landscape paintings are occasionally done on canvas which seems to accept the paint more readily as I paint quickly to capture a specific scene at a particular time of day. “My work often deals with opposites such as light and darkness, day and night, life and death, water or gardens in the desert, to name a few. On a for￾mal level, my work contains areas of sharp contrast, further pursuing the theme of opposites. This is evident in the lights and darks of the paintings as well as the gold frames which often have dark areas as a contrasting element. “My ultimate goal in art is to create objects of beauty which nourish the viewer on a spiritual level.”