Artist Interview With Ian Ridpath

Today’s Artist Interview Is With Ian Ridpath From Milton, Ontario, Canada

Whopple: How long have you been an artist?

Ian: Basically all my life but in terms of my oil painting, I started in 1995. I took a break from it until 2000 and now that I am retired, restarted my painting in September 2009.

Whopple: Tell us about your first attempts to be creative.

Ian: I first began acting on my creative side back in High School when I took art as an elective. I did several projects using charcoal and pastels and water colors. I actually produced a portfolio that I showed my dad and he encouraged me to do more. College came along and then marriage and family and so I left formal ‘art’ for many years. My work involved electronic designs that I guess are sort of creative. I took up playing the guitar at age 15 and haven’t stopped playing all these years.

Whopple: Do you make a living with your art?

Ian: No, not yet. I was ‘released’ from my formal work in August 2009 after 21 years at the company and started back painting. I have sold several pieces and show in some local galleries and cafes.

Whopple: How many hours a day do you create?

Ian: Now I spend about 3 to 4 hours a day on actual pieces or serving in our local co-op gallery. I use it as a studio since I am limited in my home space.

Whopple: How did you pick your creative medium?

Ian: For all my growing up years I was surrounded by oil painting art by my father and his father before him. Also my five older brothers all dabbled in oil painting. So, it was natural for me to lean towards oils. I find that oils are a great medium and allow some degree of forgiveness.

I tend to use a fair amount of thinning/drying medium in my paints and so I don’t have to wait days for the pieces to dry. They can be worked on quite quickly and this allows me to have several pieces on the go all at once. I paint in batches.

Whopple: What are your inspirations?

Ian: I am continually inspired by our local landscapes and the fact that God created them with such beauty in terms of form and color. Here in Canada we have four definite seasons and any visage changes accordingly. I often say that our summer is too green, our winter is too white, our spring too brown but our autumn is a magnificent palette of color.

Whopple: How do you recharge when your creativity hits the wall?

Ian: I now know when to stop a piece and take a break. I also know that after doing several pieces in a batch, I tend to give myself at least a month to recharge. During that time I don’t even think of painting. I might spend some time helping out in the co-op gallery or taking some new photographs. I always paint from photographs that I have taken. That means I do not have a steady output but do mange to get at least 15 to 20 paintings done each year.

Whopple: What was your first job?

Ian: My first official job during high school was as a stock boy in an electronics warehouse. My first job after college was designing electronics circuits for equipment used in power stations.

Whopple: What are your favorite snacks when creating? Ian: My favorite snacks are jelly beans.

Whopple: What gives you hope in the world?

Ian: Well for sure the world itself does not give me hope. I am a person who believes that God is the creator and sustainer of the world. Therefore I see that man’s attempt to better the world himself will always fail unless he calls on the creator. Makes perfect sense to me even in a practical way – who best knows His creation than the Creator.

Whopple: What do you wish you could do?

Ian: That is an interesting question. At this stage of my life I have done pretty much all that one could wish to do – I have had children, grandchildren and have a wonderful wife wife. My working career was 42 years long without ever being out of work in a field that I loved since a young boy. I have traveled with the company I worked for to 24 countries and over 450 cities in the world. Not much left to do is there?

Whopple: What are your artistic goals?

Ian: I would like to not only paint for profit but paint for legacy. I was mentored by my father and he was mentored by his father and I have some of their paintings. Following in their footsteps, I have given my paintings to my children and will to my grandchildren as well.

In terms of actual production of art works, I would like to be able to have some permanent displays in our town and even some in our National Galleries but I have a long way to go!

Whopple: What has been your most exciting moment as an artist?

Ian: I would have to say it was my first invitation to the Mountsberg Conservation area in 2008 to paint the area and capture its essence in oils. I was asked back in 2009 and hope to be asked again but this time to a different area called Crawford Lake.

To See More Of Ian Ridpath’s Artwork Please Visit The Following:

Website: http://www.ianridpath.ca