About the Artist
About Me
John Nagridge is a graphic designer for a marketing agency in Troy by day, and a painter every chance he gets otherwise. He was born on August 8, 1961 in Detroit, and has lived in Royal Oak since 1996. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Drawing and Printmaking from Wayne State University, but has immersed himself in painting for over 25 years now.
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, the Ukrainian American Archives & Museum, Hatch Art 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 won a First Place award for the 2021 Parks and Recreation Centennial Art Contest in Royal Oak, MI, and took First Place Emerging Artist at the Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival.
Today, John enjoys plein air painting and is a proud member of the Michigan Plein-Air Painters and the South Oakland Art Association. He also teaches Acrylic Painting for the Farmington Hills Special Services Department.
He currently lives with his wife, Tammie, and their 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 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
- David Groff Purchase Award. Alma College Statewide Print Competition, Alma, MI. October, 1987.
- First Prize, Emerging Artist. Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival, Dexter, MI. August, 2017.
- First Place, 2021 Parks and Recreation Centennial Art Contest, Royal Oak, MI. October, 2021
- Honorable Mention and 2 Purchase Awards, Sylvania Plein Air Festival, Sylvania, OH. August, 2023
- Honorable Mention, FRESH! Plein Air Milford, Milford, MI. September, 2023
- Honorable Mention, Quick Paint, Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival, Dexter, MI. August, 2025
- Golden Pollen Award, For the Love of Pollinators Art Show, Skep Space Honeycomb Gallery, Farmington, MI. May, 2026
- Artist of the Year, Representational, South Oakland Art Association, Royal Oak, MI. May, 2025–26
