The Spotlight October 23, 2009

Michael Riddet says he is best known for his earlier natural history paintings and scientific illustrations but in the late 1990s his focus in art shifted towards Trompe L’Oeil, art that creates such a strong illusion of reality that the viewer may not at first  be sure the object or objects depicted is real or a representation.  Michael said  with this shift “I could use my imagination, it was totally speculative and best of all, it was fun.”

Some of his paintings deal with social, or political or enviornmental commentary, while others invite the viewer into interpreting the painted image.

His recent paintings have been featured in American Artist Magazine, American Collector, and Acrylic Highlights Magazine.  Museums exhibiting his recent work include the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, WI., the American Numismatic Museum in Colorado Springs, CO., and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ.  Michael Riddet is also a three-time winner of Wisconsin’s Waterfowl Stamp Competition.  And furthermore, his artwork has been shown in over seventy museums here in the United States and abroad.

His painting “Full House” has been added to the Local Area Artists Slide Show. To view the slide show click on the “Local Area Artists” box below.