About the Artist

Chad Aldrin — Biography

Through close observation of the landscape’s quieter moments—shifting light, atmosphere, and mood—Aldrin’s work invites viewers to slow down and look more carefully.

Shaped early by the landscapes of the Midwest, Aldrin developed a sensitivity to open space, atmospheric restraint, and the quiet authority of land shaped by weather, time, and geography. Through sustained engagement with landscapes across North America—particularly the American West and Upper Midwest—extended observation and field experience inform a studio practice grounded in honesty and permanence.

His current work continues to focus on atmospheric restraint and the long-term effects of light and weather on form, informed by ongoing field observation in the American West and Upper Midwest.

Aldrin received classical training at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. During this period, he studied historical painting firsthand at the Art Institute of Chicago and was influenced by painters who balanced structure with lyricism, from John Singer Sargent to Joaquín Sorolla and the Impressionists. He was also an active contributor to the Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts.

Aldrin’s work has been exhibited and recognized nationally, including multiple regional and national juried exhibitions with the Oil Painters of America, where his work has received national-level awards. His work has also been featured in Fine Art Connoisseur.

Selected Exhibitions & Recognition

2024
Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition
The Centerpiece Gallery, Raleigh, North Carolina
Edge of the Escarpment 

2018
Oil Painters of America Juried Salon Show
Crooked Tree Art Center, Traverse City, Michigan
Kickapoo Valley Farm 

2015
Oil Painters of America Juried Salon Show
Beverly McNeil Gallery, Birmingham, Alabama
Trinidad Harbor

2014
Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine
“Celebrating Marine Art Today”

2013
Oil Painters of America 22nd Annual National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils
Insight Gallery, Fredericksburg, Texas
Best in Realism Honorable Mention — Neah Bay

2000
Oil Painters of America 9th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils
Gallery Americana, Carmel, California
Franklin Mint Award of Excellence — Gloucester