james Ruddle - CURRICULUM VITAE
Born
Hamilton, Ontario, 1981
Education
2004 – Honours BFA Fine Arts, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
2005 – B.ED Diploma, U.W.O Teaching Specialist in Sr. Art
2005 to present - Fine artist, Art teacher and educator, lecturer.
Recently accepted - as a renter at the Open Studio 401 Richmond Street West. (printmaking studio) for February 2008
Artist Statement
The juxtaposition of natural and industrial landscapes is a large theme throughout my work. While industrial landscapes, and in particular factory work sites, are often regarded in a negative way as unsightly and dirty locales, there is a beauty behind the grimy and sooty facades. In this series I was heavily influenced by my roots in Hamilton, Ontario, as I monumentalize such landscapes by recreating them with elements of fire, water and pigment. The rawness and hardness of the steel and concrete is somehow balanced well by the shores of Lake Ontario, the Hamilton escarpment and sky.
These paintings are also interpretations of the dilemma of today's reality. Our society needs factories, such as steel mills and oil refineries to properly function, but they are a great source of contamination to our environment. This series is particularly relevant in today's political climate, with the increased focus on global warming and the need to implement new plans for a healthier planet.
Artists Medium and Process
Burn paintings are created through the process of burning images onto the canvas. Preparatory sketches are first drafted and are later drawn with pencil onto the raw canvas. Once the pencil drawing is on the canvas, a blow torch is used to carefully burn the contour lines and details of the image. Following the burning of these finer details, dark values are scorched with the blow torch onto the canvas. This process creates the under-burning, also known as the under-painting in traditional painting methods. With the under-burning complete, pigments are added to the canvas. The types of pigments used are crushed charcoal, India inks, crushed tempura and acrylic, all mixed with large amounts of water. Finally, after all the pigments have been added, a torch is again used to give the painting a burnt finish.
Group Shows
June 1 - July16, 2008
AGH Lower Lounge
Art Gallery of Hamilton
May 10, 2008
Forest Brook Art Auction
FBCC Pickering Village
May 1 - May 5, 2008
AGH Art Gallery of Hamilton: Annual Art sale
Art Gallery of Hamilton
December 13, 2007
Keswick Art-A-thon (24 hrs painting performance)
Keswick High School
May 17-20, 2006
Westdale Secondary School 75th Anniversary
Westdale Secondary School
July 1, 2004
Canada Day 2004 Art Exhibition
Downs view Park Warehouse
March 26, 2April15, 2004 - May 25, 2004
The A-Team(The A Stands for Art) 2004 SUMMA Art Show
THE McMASTER MUSEUM 0F ART
March 28, 2004
Show 654326 Kim Lester, james Ruddle
McMaster University (New Space)-
October 1, 2003 - October 29, 2003
World 2003 Cycle Championship Show
Jackson Square Mall, Hamilton Public Library, City Hall - Interactive bicycle powered sculptures
Solo Shows
Thursday September 27, 2001
McMaster University - Solo Busking semi-directed by james Ruddle and Allan Flint
Wednesday, October 31, 2001
McMaster University - Solo Busking directed by james Ruddle
Thursday November 29, 2001
McMaster University - Solo Busking directed by james Ruddle
Thursday March 12, 2002
Mills Library McMaster University- Live Sculpture with Marionette “AM I REAL”
Wednesday January 22, 2003- Saturday January 25,2003
McMaster University Students Center (MUSC) - Jim in the Box -72 Hour long performance
Thursday October 17, 2003 10:00am – 6:00 pm
(MUSC) – Xpeople: a james Ruddle production
Thursday October 24, 2003 1:30 – 5:30 pm
McMaster University (New Space) – Xpeople 2: a james Ruddle production
Thursday January 8, 2003 10:00 am -6:00 pm
(MUSC) – Who’s in Charge? a james Ruddle production
Thursday February 5, 2004 – Wednesday February 11, 2004
(MUSC) – James and the Giant Box (6 days public performance) : a james Ruddle production
Sponsored in part by: Rolling Thunder Online
Friday January 28, 2004
James Ruddle “Living Statue” - 2004 Charity Ball for Breast Cancer
Hamilton Convention Centre - sponsored by the MSU
April 2-April 5 2007 james and the Ambiguous Box Keswick Ontario
SELECTED PUBLIC AND CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
Cooper, Sandler and West
Westdale Secondary School