Roe Ethridge

(Born in 1969 in Miami, Florida)

This work is not currently on view.

County Line Meadowmere Park, 2004
C-print mounted on aluminum
24" x 31"
Gift of Bridgitt and Bruce Evans

Roe Ethridge, the fourth artist featured in the Momentum series, has an active, successful career as a commercial photographer, which nourishes his artistic practice and vice versa. His photographic work displays the extreme high polish and sharp clarity of photographic print technology available today; these handsomely-rendered views seem at once familiar and alien, inviting yet off-limits. County Line Meadowmere Park is from the series County Line, a collection of images from a quiet ocean-side community in Queens, New York, that sits on the Nassau County Line.  This view of boats, water, and foliage topped by a generous swath of blue sky and puffy clouds is reminiscent of a classic Dutch landscape, yet edged with mundane signs of contemporary life, with the boats' gears and engines fully exposed. A subtle shift in the sky's tone echoes the county line border demarcated by the waterway. 

Untitled, 2002
Digital C-print
40 x 50 in.
Purchased through funds provided by Niki Friedberg

Untitled is part of a series Ethridge began in 2000 depicting pigeons.  Using a high-speed flash to capture a pigeon in mid-flight, Ethridge reveals the unexpected beauty of this ubiquitous bird. This, however, is no ordinary pigeon, but a trained "extra" rented from Universal Studios. Set against a blue studio backdrop that mimics the natural color of the sky, Ethridge reveals its graceful perfection. 

Holly at Marlow and Sons, 2004
C-print
30 x 24 in. (76.2 x 61 cm)
Edition of 5
Promised gift of Beth and Richard Marcus
 

Ethridge applies precise techniques honed over years of commercial studio work to create images that defy expectations of their everyday subjects. A beautiful, poised woman stands behind a café counter, holding our attention with a confident gaze. While the setting is casual, the perfection in her modeled pose and details in the composition hint that this scene may not have been candid.

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