Jacob’s current body of work explores Eden as a mental state rather than a physical place. Ecstasy, euphoria, and memory converge in fleeting glimpses of paradise, whether in a figure within a landscape or a light-filled interior. Although innocence cannot be fully restored once it has been diminished by trauma or prolonged adversity, art can offer brief moments of that original clarity, and his paintings offer them.

Working in oil paint, his practice examines landscapes, figures, and interiors through the lens of personal experience, transforming them into visions that range from euphoric states to dreamlike environments. Everyday life is explored through intuitive mark-making, with color and texture selected to convey emotional energy rather than to represent reality naturalistically. The work is grounded in close observation, progressing from preliminary studies, photographs, and sketches to environments shaped by memory. His visual language is conversational, spoken through the figure or environment and read in his treatment of the subject. Closeness is essential to how his paintings engage viewers, creating a dialogue through their subjects. His influences draw on early twentieth-century movements and masters such as Henri Matisse, Edvard Munch, Pierre Bonnard, and John Singer Sargent.

Exhibitions

2026

●      Field Notes, Landscape & Plein Air Exhibition, The New Hartford Artisans Guild, Hartford, CT — 3rd Place

●      Mini Masterpiece Auction, Art Party of the Year, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT — Evening Glow

2024

●      Barn Gallery Regional Artists Open Juried Show, Ogunquit, ME — Early Bloom

●      Annual Contemporary Abstract Exhibition, The Art Center, Dover, NH — Chromatic Relationships

●      25th Annual Joan L. Dunfey Open Juried Exhibit — Composition in Green (Honorable Mention)

Awards & Recognition

●      3rd Place — Field Notes, Landscape & Plein Air Exhibition, The New Hartford Artisans Guild (2026)

●      Honorable Mention — 25th Annual Joan L. Dunfey Open Juried Exhibit (Composition in Green)

●      Outstanding Veteran Volunteer Award, Daughters of the American Revolution, Molly Stark Chapter (2024)

●      ‘Vote in Honor of a Veteran’ Lapel Pin Design, New Hampshire Secretary of State (2024)

Press

●      The Hartford Arts Pages — “Mark Schebell and Jacob Aldridge: Calm and Chaos,” by Andrew Belonsky (September 2025)

●      Great Bay Community College (GBCC) Feature — “Meet Former GBCC Fine Arts Student and U.S. Navy Veteran, Jacob Aldridge” (August 2024)

Experience

• Studio Assistant, Kathleen Higley (Printmaker), Eliot, ME (Summer-Fall 2024)

• Creative Director & Lead Artist, Breakaway Café, Dover, NH: Rebrand

●      Studio Assistant Internship, Stephen Maine Studio, NYC/CT — canvas stretching & painting production

Design & Creative Direction

Creative Director & Lead Artist, Breakaway Café, Dover, NH — Rebrand (2024)

●      Led the visual and brand transformation of Breakaway Café, refining its brand identity, signage, and digital presence.

●      Designed website visuals and promotional materials to align with the café’s mission as a community-focused space.

Education

●      University of Hartford, Hartford, CT — BFA in Fine Arts (Oil Painting), Concentration in Art History (Currently Enrolled)