Standing on a beach looking out over the vast sky and sea, stirs the imagination. In fact all bodies of water do that for me, ocean, lake, river & pond alike. Like a map they mostly converge and are connected in some way across the globe. Having grown up in a near suburb of Chicago, the Great Lakes were a fascination and later the Atlantic ocean. They, the water, bring me a great serenity & peace, but also a sense of the turbulence & reckoning of lifes possibilitites. I still spend as much time as possible near the water and at the beach. I live along the Fox River in Illinois.
Memories of my own childhood were sparked when I saw this photo of a friends child at the beach, shovel and bucket in hand. What can I create today? A question posed then setting forth to create castles in the sand. Lost in the moment, you sort of disappear, nothing else exists and all the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and thoughts subconsiously moving you along as the sun energizes your every action.
The majority of my non-abstract & current artwork feature scenes of large bodies of water. The vast and seemingly ubiqutous nature of looking out over the the sea, and the ever growing sense of complete isolation, yet connection to all life, is overwhelming as conveyed. Using all my emotion, skill, and tools, I’m setting forth, on canvas, to create a non-static relief, making you, the viewer, a part of the scene. My palette in place and using acrylic & oil paint, brushes, palette knives, & sculpting tools, I go at it, always trying to convey a sense of motion and depth, until I’m satisfied with the emotional content, as well. This was painted Alla Prima, in one sitting with of preliminary sketch, direct to canvas. So please, let me take you to the beach.
As always, feel free to comment and ask questions, commissions available,
~Richard
'Boy at the Beach', 30"x20" oil on canvas (SOLD)
The photo reference
in its new home