New York
Art Education: During my senior year of high school, I began painting and studying works by the masters. I devoted most of my time to reading about how to paint, and then actually going outside and trying it for myself. I took a series of workshops from artists like Mark Boedges and Benjamin Björklund. I also had the opportunity to apprentice with John Burton.Creative Spark: The places and things around my home in rural upstate New York and the Northeast. Many past artists have inspired me and painted things that I relate to in my daily life, including Frederick Judd Waugh, John Carlson, Daniil Volkov, and Nicolai Fechin.Other Passions: Hiking, wood-working, biking, drawing, traveling, and ceramics.One Thing People Don’t Know About You: I design and make pochade boxes from recycled wooden cigar boxes. They are designed for the traveling artist who wants something compact and lightweight. In addition, I make leather brush wraps. I’ve shipped nearly 100 pochade boxes and approximately 50 brush wraps in the past six months.Best Advice Received: “Paint what you like.”Future Goals: To get better at drawing. It’s one of those things that I can work at every day and notice small improvements over time. I also want to do more portrait and figurative painting.Favorite Studio Music: I enjoy instrumental and atmospheric easy-listening music. And I love indie rock.Price Range: $250 to $4,000.Representation: Hueys Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM; Camden Falls Gallery, Camden, ME; Heirloom Art Co., Provo, UT; St. Laurent Framing & Ironstone Gallery, Manlius, NY; www.tadretz.com.
This story was featured in the September 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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