My work in oil encompasses landscapes, figures, and interiors, reflecting on lived experiences and fragments of memory from a lost paradise. The color palette ranges from atmospheric to imaginative, at times closely following observed light and at other times diverging to convey emotion directly. This approach aligns with Matisse's principle from his 1908 "Notes d'un peintre," positing that painting is shaped by the artist's emotional response rather than a simple transcription of nature. Form is treated as expressive, engaging with observation through mark-making that alternates between calligraphic gestures, textured passages, and more traditional brushwork. Rhythm and chaos are balanced to create movement and harmony amid disorder. This practice finds its place within a tradition extending from late nineteenth-century figurative and landscape painting through Post-Impressionism and Fauvism, drawing upon the influence of Sargent, Matisse, Bonnard, and Derain.

The work maintains an intimate perspective, exploring Eden as a mental state rather than a physical place. While innocence cannot be fully regained once lost, the art offers brief glimpses of that original clarity. Each painting captures a fleeting moment of innocence before it fades.

Exhibitions

2026

●      Field Notes, Landscape & Plein Air Exhibition, The New Hartford Artisans Guild, Hartford, CT — 3rd Place

●      Mini Masterpiece Auction, Art Party of the Year, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT — Evening Glow

2024

●      Barn Gallery Regional Artists Open Juried Show, Ogunquit, ME — Early Bloom

●      Annual Contemporary Abstract Exhibition, The Art Center, Dover, NH — Chromatic Relationships

●      25th Annual Joan L. Dunfey Open Juried Exhibit — Composition in Green (Honorable Mention)

Awards & Recognition

●      3rd Place — Field Notes, Landscape & Plein Air Exhibition, The New Hartford Artisans Guild (2026)

●      Honorable Mention — 25th Annual Joan L. Dunfey Open Juried Exhibit (Composition in Green)

●      Outstanding Veteran Volunteer Award, Daughters of the American Revolution, Molly Stark Chapter (2024)

●      ‘Vote in Honor of a Veteran’ Lapel Pin Design, New Hampshire Secretary of State (2024)

Press

●      The Hartford Arts Pages — “Mark Schebell and Jacob Aldridge: Calm and Chaos,” by Andrew Belonsky (September 2025)

●      Great Bay Community College (GBCC) Feature — “Meet Former GBCC Fine Arts Student and U.S. Navy Veteran, Jacob Aldridge” (August 2024)

Experience

2026

●      Studio Assistant Internship, Stephen Maine Studio, NYC/CT — canvas stretching & painting production

Design & Creative Direction

Creative Director & Lead Artist, Breakaway Café, Dover, NH — Rebrand (2024)

●      Led the visual and brand transformation of Breakaway Café, refining its brand identity, signage, and digital presence.

●      Designed website visuals and promotional materials to align with the café’s mission as a community-focused space.

Education

●      University of Hartford, Hartford, CT — BFA in Fine Arts (Oil Painting), Concentration in Art History (Currently Enrolled)