About the artist

Bio

John Nagridge, a graphic designer and painter born in Detroit in 1961, took his first steps in art as a six-year-old boy. Back then, his Snoopy soap dish was the subject of his artwork. Today he’s an accomplished illustrator, printmaker and painter. He studied art at Macomb Community College, the Center for Creative Studies, and Wayne State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Printmaking and Drawing.

His drawings, etchings, woodcuts, and paintings have been exhibited in various metro Detroit galleries, including the Detroit Artists Market, The Michigan Gallery, the Chaika Gallery, and the Scarab Club. One of his woodcuts was a recipient of the David Groff Purchase Award from the Alma College Statewide Print Competition in 1987. It was later exhibited in 1991 at the Detroit Institute of Arts for the OMAP (Ongoing Michigan Artists Program) show, A Decade of Michigan Printmaking. He took First Place Emerging Artist at the Paint Dexter Plain Air Festival.

Today, John enjoys plein air painting and is a proud member of the Michigan Plein-Air Painters. He also teaches Acrylic Painting for the Farmington Hills Special Services Department.

He currently lives with his wife and two cats in Royal Oak.

Statement

“I prefer painting landscapes plein air, as opposed to using photo reference. It encourages me to interpret the world around me, rather than copying it.

I work almost exclusively in oil with painting knives. Knife painting keeps me from getting too bogged down in fussing with details. This method’s freer nature gives me more room to concentrate on expression, and on what impacts me most about my subject matter.

Michigan’s Lower Peninsula never leaves me at a loss for inspiration. I’ve captured scenic landscapes of the harbor towns in Michigan’s upper thumb to small quaint cities like Milford and White Lake to my neighborhood in Royal Oak.

Awards

  • First Prize, Emerging Artist. Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival, Dexter, MI. August, 2017.
  • David Groff Purchase Award. Alma College Statewide Print Competition, Alma, MI. October, 1987.

Education

  • Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.
    Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Printmaking and Drawing. 1983-1988.
  • Center for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI. 1982-1983.
  • Macomb Community College, Warren, MI.
    Associates in General Education, 1979-1982.

Interviews

Interview by Ksenia Rychtycka for Ukrainian Metro News.

Exhibitions

  • Ukrainian American Archives & Museum of Detroit, Hamtramck, MI.
    Exhibited oil knife paintings, woodcut, and micropoint painting. September, 2017–present.
  • Cultural Arts Division Instructors Exhibit Their Own Work, Costick Center, Farmington Hills, MI.
    Exhibited oil knife paintings. September–November, 2018.
  • Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival, Dexter, MI.
    Exhibited oil knife paintings. August, 2018.
  • Fresh! Plein Air Milford Paint Out, Show and Sale, The Suzanne Haskew Arts Center, Milford, MI.
    Exhibited oil knife paintings. June–August, 2018.
  • Christine’s Cuisine, Ferndale, MI.
    Exhibited oil knife paintings, woodcut, and micropoint painting. May–September, 2018.
  • Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival, Dexter, MI.
    Exhibited oil knife paintings. August, 2017.
  • Arts for the Spirit Program, The Oakwood Physical Therapy and Wellness Center, Wayne, MI.
    Exhibited oil knife paintings. January–March, 2016
  • Michigan By The Bottle, Royal Oak, MI.
    Exhibited oil knife paintings.. September–December, 2015
  • Michigan By The Bottle, Shelby Twp., MI.
    Exhibited acrylic and oil knife paintings. May–June, 2015
  • Fantastic Four 50th Anniversary Group Exhibit, Green Brain Comics, Dearborn, MI.
    Exhibited digital art. October–December, 2011
  • Ron Hayward: Remembered in Art, 2739 Edwin Gallery, Hamtramck, MI.
    Exhibited pen & ink drawing. March, 2010
  • Exquisite Corpse, Cafe 1923 , Hamtramck, MI.
    Exhibited micropoint. 2007
  • First Annual Hatch Show, Cafe 1923 , Hamtramck, MI.
    Exhibited linocut and woodcut. March–April, 2007
  • Friends of Modern Art Studio Tour, Hamtramck, MI.
    Exhibited works in my studio. May, 1996.
  • Ukrainian Mythology, Folklore & Legend, ADUK, Scarab Club, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited color linocut and micropoint painting. October, 1995.
  • Micropointillism ‘92, Michigan Gallery, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited micropoint paintings. October, 1992.
  • Associates Show, Michigan Gallery, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited micropoint and oil paintings. December, 1991.
  • Chornobyl – 5 Years After, ADUK, Scarab Club, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited woodcut. April–May, 1991.
  • OMAP show, A Decade of Michigan Printmaking, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited woodcut. March–May, 1991
  • Associates Show, Michigan Gallery, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited micropoint painting. December, 1990.
  • 21 Ukrainian Artists, ADUK, Scarab Club, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited micropoint paintings. June, 1990.
  • Chaika Gallery, Warren, MI..
    Exhibited woodcuts and micropoint paintings. 1990–1991
  • 16 Years of Life Drawing, Michigan Gallery, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited brush & ink drawings. January, 1990.
  • Trobar Gallery, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited woodcuts in two person show. December, 1988.
  • Micro pointillism, Michigan Gallery, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited micropoint paintings. October, 1988.
  • Alma College Statewide Print Competition, Alma College, Alma, MI.
    Exhibited woodcut in show travelling to seven Michigan universities. 1987-1988.
  • Associates Show, Michigan Gallery, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited brush and ink drawing. December, 1987.
  • Annual Print Show, Scarab Club, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited woodcut. 1987.
  • Annual Juried Winter Show, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited woodcut. December, 1986.
  • Annual Juried Summer Show, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI.
    Exhibited intaglio. June, 1986.