Equal parts confidence and humility, Richard carries himself with unique energy. Thus begins a dualism that naturally flows into his artwork creating a unified juxtaposition. From the moment he begins showing me his studio, I notice the casual way Richard introduces one piece after another. He suggests “Oh dude, you will really like this” and then seems surprised when I complement the intricate geometric design. The studio, a chunk of basement in his parent’s home, is both workshop and art studio. The floor is covered with a canvas speckled with paint and electronic parts. Paintings line the wall, a shelf holds miniature sculptures Richard affectionately calls “bobble heads”, and a table is filled with supplies. I ask Richard when he knew that he was an artist and his answer captures his abounding humor. “I like to tell everyone the story that when I was four I took my diapers off and drew with shit on the wall,” Richard states with a stern look on his face. “But no, I guess in third grade my teacher assigned me a saxophone solo and I realized man, I can do anything I want with this. I still don’t consider myself a visual artist. I make music, animations, and visual stuff; everyone’s an artist I just make shit.”
Richard begins showing me the “shit” he makes and I discover it is anything but. Appropriately, he starts with the most current pieces, a set of acaustic wax paintings. He speaks of the medium, one he just began exploring, with excitement. The initial pieces are organic shapes made of beautiful layers of wax and color. I notice the breadth of materials Richard seems to work with and he explains that he is an artist of whatever medium he currently uses be it wood, computer parts, or musical instruments. The aesthetic is often one of complex layering and sophisticated use of color. In his drawings and prints, the compositions Richard executes freehandedly communicate the same precision one sees in a blue print, mathematic equation, and plans for a new invention. The juxtaposition emerges in Richard’s artwork- a harmonious interplay of organic free flowing creativity and a mathematic and scientific structure.
Richard’s work is ripe with mathematic symbols and enigmatic formula. He seems as much a scientist as artist. One expects creations of sound logic and tested theory. The results of Richard’s creative mind, however, leave vast space for questions, often spiritual. I ask Richard why he creates and his response hints at a higher power, “we were all put here to create. If I get any kind of reaction from something I made then it was worth it.” True to the variability of experimentation, Richard speaks about reaction to his work with a sense of the psychological. He says, “You can’t control (people’s response to your work). That’s what it’s all about. Someone brings everything they know to your piece and you can only tell them a little bit about what you know through your painting and the rest is for them to figure out. That’s what’s cool about painting; there is a lot of mystery. You could totally spell something out but then it’s not an effective painting.” Richard’s art speaks to both soul and intellect with a brilliantly mysterious language.
TEN QUESTIONS
What is your favorite color? Orange
What is your favorite word and why? Spelunking
What song can you listen to over and over again? Benny and the Jets, if I’m really drunk
When you are struggling creatively where do you find inspiration? Nature
What is one thing you love to look at or watch? Beautiful women
What is your biggest creative block? Laziness
Who is your biggest fan? Garret McCullum
If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one book what would it be? A book of blank pages and a pen
If you could only bring one type of art supply? I’d bring a multi-tool I wouldn’t bring art, I’d use spit and soot for my art
What is one thing you have learned that you would like other artists to know? You’ve got to make ten things to make one good thing, its all about the editing process, you have to make something and step back
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