Works in Metal

Artist Statement:

Glenn A. Ridler has been painting, sculpting and inventing in Shelburne, MA for more than 40 years. Ridler was born in Paterson, New Jersey in 1942 and graduated from Montclair State College in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1967 he received a MFA from Oakland's California College of Arts & Crafts, in painting.   His early development as an artist occurred during the peak of Modernism: The time of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism, Conceptual and Environmental Art. 

Ridler explained his own development during this stimulating period,

"When I received my Masters in Fine Arts in 1967 from California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA, the artificial walls between painting and sculpture were breaking down. I made shaped canvases.  This was a huge departure, for I had been schooled as a painter in the tradition of Hans Hofmann. I have, over time, realized that I am more of a conceptual artist, moving from media to media, idea to idea."

His largest work is his home, Little Big House, started in 1972 as a residential sculpture. Ridler describes, "My most consuming piece has been Little Big House, an illusionistic, archetypal structure that uses an original construction technique and most of all humor; and is an attempt to bridge the gap between art and life." Little Big House is Ridler's largest and most involved project to date, developing over a period of 30 years.

Humor, and the relationship of art to life, is often part of Ridler's larger body of work. His work has a scope and range far exceeding expectations - from oil paintings and watercolors to toys and sculpture.