Prix de West 2002 Catalog Bio

Ronald Stephen Riddick realized he was destined to be an artist at an early age, and his family and teachers encourage his unique natural gifts and ability. As a child, he often sat and made drawings in a special spot next to his father, who was an art director for a large California company. He studied art in college and received advanced tranining on a scholarship at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, California.

He escaped the faddish avant-garde art trends of the 1960s and 1970s, choosing instead to focus on learning the fundamental disciplines of fine art. A formal education in classical training was not easily accessible during the “modern art movement” of those two decades, prompting Riddick to explore the traditional Russian school of art while he painted with Sergei Bongart, a gifted Russian artist, who lived the last years of his life in Los Angeles.

The legacy of master artists from bygone eras, especially those from the turn of the century school of realism, became Riddick’s inspiration. He says, “I value artistic expression that portrays the truth and beauty of life. When you paint the things you love, the things that inspire you, you’re going to be doing some of your best work.”

In 1974, Riddick established his own fine art print atelier and publishing company, but on a trip to the Southwest, he became so enchanted with the color, light, people, and culture of the region that by 1980, he moved to Tucson, and now enjoys an aesthetically stimulating lifestyle on a small ranch.

With an extensive background in fine art, Riddick has had his work featured in numerous exhibitions and lecture engagements throughout the United States. He says “In sharing my abilities with other people who are hungry to learn, I am able to give to others some of the joy that my artistic world has given to me.:

He is known for his skill in a variety of mediums and says, “I strive to be a total artist, to savor the multitude of beautiful moments in life through my paintings. He is also an accomplished portrait artist and was honored with an award for excellence in 1983 by the National Portrait Institute in Washington, DC.

Riddick believes, “Art should be emotional; it should touch the human soul and spirit and affirm humanity. For me, life is a visual feast and I hope to savor its abundance to the fullest. I continue to challenge myself to achieve greater refinement and growth in my work. I remind myself to always remain a student. I believe when an artist succeeds in bringing together in harmony his creative ideas and his commitment to growth, great things happen.”

In 2000, Riddick received the Nona Jean Hulsey Rumsey Buyers’ Choice and the Frederic Remington Awards for his oil painting, Lakota Water Maidens, at the Prix de West, and also won a Silver Medal at the Cowboy Artists of America show.