A Letter to artist Silas B. Ritchie

Dear Silas B. Ritchie,

Silas B. Ritchie's "Robots on the Beach."

Your acrylic paintings were being hung today as I ate my ginger and pear sandwich in the cozy confines of Anaba Tea Room on Capitol Drive. The young lady hanging your work was your classmate when you were a little kid making art in Shorewood. You also won several awards in your early years, and I have to say, now that you are an artist approaching age 30, your work retains a distinctive childlike quality, albeit one with apocalyptic undertones.

"Garbage Truck Turtle" by Silas B. Ritchie.

I must advise you that I was not fooled into thinking that just because many of your paintings are populated by turtles, fish, goats and such (depicted in riots of color) that you are an artist whose work lacks content, i.e., angst. It’s not immediately apparent though, and I ate my way through my entire ginger & pear sandwich before deciding that you’re really not as happy as your 14″x10” painting Happy would seem to suggest. Folks have until Feb. 26 to visit Anaba and decide if I’m correct.

I say this after noting that none of your almost 30 paintings contain human figures, though multiple shelters (igloo-style on Mars, urban hi-rises, Thai pavilion, etc) appear in most of the works. Oh sure, there’s an alien of blue riding a black horse (Alien Cowboy) and robots surfing and building sandcastles on a beach. But where oh where have all the homo-sapiens gone? Frankly Silas, do we care, and are we really all that important in the scheme of things? Perhaps your Pug on a Rug says it all.

"Pandas on Mars" by Silas B. Ritchie

Because you are obviously an artist with something to say (as opposed to someone who paints endless pots of flowers), I urge you to cease signing your name on the face of your paintings, and please! why title this show “SiRealism?” It’s your first solo event, so I’ll cut you some slack and say it’s a good start to what I hope will be a long and even wilder career.

As I exited the room, I noticed two more of your paintings in the entry/exit area: Ant with a Human Brain and, next to it, a single image of a throbbing red heart — not a valentine heart, but what appeared to be a human heart with ventricles and such. For just an instant I wondered if the heart represents you, and if so, was your heart broken somewhere along the line? If not, then carry on Silas B. Ritchie. Most people know that your dad is Brian of Violent Femmes fame, so I won’t mention it again.

Best,

Judith Ann Moriarty

Judith could have some of her questions answered tonight (barring the snowstorm), Thursday Jan. 12, as Silas B. Ritchie holds an opening/reception at Anaba Tea Room (2107 East Capitol Drive, Shorewood) from 5 to 9 p.m.  For more information, see the Facebook Event entry.