Early in her career Rea Baldridge began to think of painting as a limited and limiting medium. She had a broader notion of the kind of art she wanted to make. So, when a series of fires, bombings and other mishaps upended her life and destroyed most of her early work, she was not as devastated as she might have been. In fact, Rea felt these events, liberated her to concentrate on more integrated and intangible art forms by forcing her to think hard about impermanence of objects, the nature of loss, and the mutability of memory. Thus began her immersion in conceptual work, in which she employed the healing power of humor to explore the meaning of art in her life as well as its’ connections to the broader society. It is relatively recently in this life of exploration that she has turned to painting as her primary medium. Determined to revive and advance neglected skills, through intense and focused application, Rea has managed to redefine herself as a painter, by redefining the medium she had at once rejected.
All the influences and inspirations of Rea’s personal journey are evident in her current work. Irony mixed with paint, her work manifests the very constructive/destructive cycles that caused her one time ambivalence towards painting. Always acknowledged as a gifted and innovative artist, her works are widely admired and collected. She has enjoyed many successful exhibitions and critical acclaim as she continues to paint outside the lines.