Featured Work
Exhibition
May 23, 2023 - June 21, 2023
Under the Influence | Contemporary Artists and the Masters Who Inspire Them
View the Exhibition →About
Gary Ruddell is an American figurative artist who is known for his representational fine art paintings and early illustrations. After receiving his BFA from California College of Arts & Crafts, Gary started his career with a series of notable science fiction and fantasy book covers before exhibiting his fine art at several galleries, museums, and universities. His fine art, unlike his illustrations, is a pure expression of his own vision. Often utilizing his family and surroundings, he constructs images of great feats and inner conflict. When asked about what inspires his work, Ruddell stated that “The vehicle, which drives my images, has always been my relationship with my family. It is an essential part of my development and process. Mundane and routine scenes, like children calling out for one another or the interventions of mother and son are what spark my own imagination from childhood”. His work can now be seen around the globe at various galleries and private collections. He continues to live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area where he perpetually looks for new ways to innovate and challenge his practice.
Selected Exhibitions
2023 Under the Influence | Contemporary Artists and the Masters Who Inspire Them, Somerville Manning Gallery, Greenville, DE
2023 Group Show, Contemporary Classics, Kauffman Gallery, University of Shippensburg, PA
2022 Group Show, Four Painters, Quidley Fine Art, Boston, MA
2022 Group Show, Summer Solstice, Allen & Alan Fine Art, Salt Lake City, UT
2022 Group Show, True North, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa, CA
2022 Group Show, New Works, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
2020 Group Show, Stay Inspired, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2019 Group Show, Lightning Strikes, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2019 Group Show, Bay Area Painters, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
2018 Solo Show, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
2017 Group Show, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
2017 Group Show, Artist as Subject, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2016 Group Show, A Gallery, Salt Lake City, Utah
2016 Solo Show, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
2015 Group Show, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
2015 Group Show, In Good Company, Quidley Fine Art, Boston, MA
2014 Group Show, Quidley Fine Art, Boston, MA
2014 Holiday Group Show, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
2013 Two-Man Show, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
2012 Solo Show, Recent Work, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2012 Holiday Group Show, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
2012 Narrative Fragments Exhibition, Quidley Fine Art, Boston, MA
2011 Group Show, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
2011 Solo Show, Preston Contemporary Art Center, NM
2010 Contemporary Realism, M.A. Doran Gallery, Tulsa, OK
2010 Art of the 20th Century, New York, NY
2010 Art in Embassies, U.S State Department, Tbillisi, Georgia, John Bass, Ambassador
2009 Solo Show, New Paintings, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2009 Two-Man Show, Susan Greenwood Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2009 A Figural Presence, Alva deMars Megan Chapel Art Center, Manchester, NH
2008 Solo Show, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
2008 LA Art Show, Santa Monica, CA
2007 49th International Award Exhibition, San Diego Art Institute, CA
2007 10 Years a Retrospective of Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2007 72nd Annual Cooperstown Art Association Exhibition , Cooperstown, NY
2007 Nicolet College Annual Art Competition, Rhineland, WI
2006 Solo Show, Small Changes, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2006 40 Years: A Dealer’s Collection, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
2006 US Artists, Philadelphia, PA
2005 Two-Man Show, Greenwood Chebithes Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2005 Group Show, San Diego Museum of Living Artists, San Diego, CA
2005 Group Show, Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
2004 Solo Show, Reckless Dreamers , Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2003 Group Show, Marin Arts Council, Falkirk Center of the Arts
2003 Two Man Show, New Work, Greenwood Chebithes Gallery, Laguna Beach,CA
2002 Solo Show, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2002 Group Show, Palm Springs Desert Museum, Juried by Michael Zakian, Ph.D.
2001 American Landscapes 2001, Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, Maryland, Juried by Gary Vikan
2001 International Exhibition of Contemporary Painting, San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA
2001 Pleiades Gallery, New York City, NY
2001 Group Show, Touchstone Gallery, Washington D.C.
1999 28th National Exhibition, Holter Museum of Art, Helena, MT
1998 33rd Annual Open Exhibition, San Bernardino County Museum of Art, San Bernardino, CA
1998 Crocker Kingsley Biennial Exhibition, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
1997 St. John’s University, New York, NY
1997 University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO
1997 Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
1996 San Diego Art Institute, San Diego Museum of Art, CA
1995 Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, CA
1993 Group Show, Cheekwood Tennessee Museum of Art, TN
1992 67th Annual Crocker-Kingsley Exhibition, Crocker Museum of Art, Sacramento, CA Juried by Henry Hopkins
1991 Group Show, Icaan Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1990 Group Show, Olympia New York Gallery, New York, NY
1990 Group Show, Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE
Selected Awards and Honors
2009 Honorable Mention in Painting, The Genesis of Bay Area Figurative Art Now, Art Space 712, San Francisco, CA
2007 Special Merit Excellence Award, Annual Northern Juried Competition, Rhineland, WI
2005 Hoffman Trust Award, San Diego Museum of Living Artists, CA
2005 Distinctive Honor Award in Painting, Falkirk Center for the Arts, CA
2003 Individual Artist Grant for Excellence in the Field of Painting, Marin Arts Council, CA
2002 Individual Artist Grant for Excellence in the Field of Painting, Marin Arts Council, CA
2002 Holter Museum of Art Helena, Art Distinctive Merit Award
1999 Honorable Mention in Painting, Stephen F. Austin State University, TX
1998 Merit Award in Painting, Holter Museum of Art, MT
1995 Best of Show, Painting, Palm Springs Desert Museum of Art, CA
1993 Marin Arts Council Award for Artistic Excellence, Marin Arts Council, CA
1993 Award of Excellence in Painting, California State Fair Art Exhibition, CA
Education
1975 BFA, California College of Arts and Crafts
