“Slip Terrace” by Andrew Rucklidge/ « Terrasse glissante » de Andrew Rucklidge Galerie Old Chelsea

“Slip Terrace” by Andrew Rucklidge
Galerie Old Chelsea, Chelsea, Quebec

April 9 to 26, 2026
Vernissage: Saturday April 11, 1-4 pm

Galerie Old Chelsea is thrilled to present a series of new paintings by Andrew Rucklidge, an internationally recognized artist now living in Chelsea. The exhibition captures the invisible yet deeply familiar forces that shape the earth over time as Rucklidge draws on processes such as erosion, sedimentation, metamorphism, volcanic eruptions, exposed faults, and slipping terraces,

Andrew Rucklidge’s practice is rooted in an exploration of the planet’s internal gestures—subtle, powerful movements translated into paint through a deeply material and process-driven approach. Working with ancient and traditional media including egg tempera, distemper, watercolour, handmade inks, encaustic, and sun-thickened linseed oil, he constructs surfaces that echo the layered complexity of geological formations.

Central to this work is the artist’s creation of his own paints, often derived directly from pigments, many of which are locally sourced. By varying their miscibility, compatibility, and fluidity, Rucklidge engages in what he describes as “stratified alchemical processes,” allowing each painting to evolve through interaction and transformation of materials.

The works in this exhibition are inspired in part by the enigmatic Eardley Escarpment, as well as by ravines and landscapes encountered throughout Northern Canada, often observed from a canoe. These environments inform both the visual language and the conceptual grounding of the paintings, resulting in compositions that feel at once elemental, immersive, and in flux.

Andrew Rucklidge lives and works in Chelsea, Quebec and Toronto. He teaches in the Department of Painting and Drawing at OCAD University. He received his MA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art in London in 2003, and has since exhibited internationally at venues including The New Contemporaries (London), Store Gallery (London), John Connelly Presents (New York), and major art fairs such as Frieze, Zoo, The Armory, NADA Miami, Volta Basel, Art Chicago, Berliner Liste, Art Cologne, and Art Toronto.

His work is held in numerous public and private collections, including UBS (London), the Zabludowicz Collection (London), Kunstmuseum Gotland (Sweden), Soho House (London and Toronto), Google, the Bank of Montreal, and Scotiabank.

“I hope you enjoy the show,” says Rucklidge, “and feel free to ask me questions about my process in making this work.”

Galerie Old Chelsea, which features local artists, is located in the beautiful Gatineau Hills above award-winning Les Fougères restaurant situated at 783 route 105, Chelsea, Québec, J9B1P1.
http://www.galerieoldchelsea.ca; For information contact Anne Swiderski at 819 827 8504 at swiderski.anne@gmail.com.