Resonance 2, at & The Chair gallery Hay-on-Wye November 2022
The writer Eve Richings and Maureen Richardson at Resonance 1 exhibition, in Hay.
Solo exhibition, Resonance 1, at The Table
Hoppo gives Maureen Richardson a personal tour.
Solo show, Resonance 1, at The Table gallery in Hay-on-Wye, November 2022
A GOOD WOMAN IS HARD TO FIND - Triptych each panel 404 x 40 cm
Size is Everything.
Perhaps. This painting measures 92 x 92 cm (roughly 3 feet square) and its title is: THINGS DON'T ALWAYS FALL INTO PLACE BUT IF YOU CAN LEARN TO LIVE WITH THAT YOU'LL LEAD A MORE COMFORTABLE LIFE.
OIL PASTELS
To me, far easier to manipulate than oil sticks. A fabulous array exists - waxy fluid ones from Sennelier, stiffer ones from Neopastel, all providing a rich choice of colours. These are often thinned with Zest, making them behave in all manner of different ways.
INTO THE VOID
Some series evolve at their own pace and volition, with no intention applied to them. Into The Void is one such grouping, an examination of what success means, how we judge it, set its parameters. What do you do once you achieve your ambition? Is the setting of ambitions and goals a good thing, or do they shrink our horizons, leaving us rudderless and bereft?
Into The Void, or as I privately call it, avoiding the void, has taken mountains as a metaphor for the subject of success and ambition. Unintentional, though visually apt, they started appearing out of nowhere - such is the benefit of allowing the subconscious a free rein, in parallel, suppressing the conscious.
Below is a work in progress, a page from a sketch book, with acrylics, charcoal and oil pastels.
WHAT IS ART?
I can’t really believe I’m asking this question, but in response to posting this photo on Instagram, one of my followers did ask me.
My knee-jerk reaction was to answer that it’s art because I called it that, but that sounded pompous. So instead I fell back on the old chestnut that art’s in the eye of the beholder - a democratic position.
Perhaps a more important, or relevant question, is to ask why do you like or dislike looking at this or that picture?
More fun that way…
ISLANDS
From Journey of a Lifetime, to The Shipping Lane’s container ships, and now Islands, the journey and evolution continues sometimes rapidly. I don’t know where to next; mystery.
Long Island Sound, 28 x 29 cm mixed media (charcoal, graphite, chalk, acrylics) on sketch book paper.
MY MATERIALS AND TOOLS - PALETTE KNIVES
I get through an alarming number of these - mainly by using them for anything other than moving paint around on a canvas. They’re really very useful tools. They might even be capable of removing stones from horse’s hooves. On second thoughts, they’d be useless at that task. What was I thinking of?
MY MATERIALS - TAPE
Decorators’ low tac tape - yards and yards of it are used up throughout the day. Some folk call it masking tape., but I don’t. Don’t ask me why.
THE SHIPPING LANE
Continuing the journey theme, the new series will be called The Shipping Lane, beginning with these two paintings, both the same size, measuring 120 x 92 cm (3 x 4 feet) and both are mixed media on wood. ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY, and ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JILL A DULL GIRL.
UPDATE: Jack was painted over last week. Sorry about that.
My Materials - Brushes
Photo © Janie Airey
Paint brushes. I mainly use these flat ones - one set for oils another for acrylics. I use decorators’ brushes too - the ones made with synthetic hairs. Perfect for this painter.
NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED
Nothing Ventured and Nothing Gained, both 80 cm square, mixed media on wood, drying in the cottage studio. Part of the Journey of a Lifetime series painted during 2021.
Life imitating art
Self silhouette on the shed wall, after painting I'm Always Dreaming Of This Moment from the DETOUR series.
The Detour
Journey of a Lifetime continues, but like life itself, detours crop up - in this case purely by accident; I love painting accidents.
A new gallery of pictures, titled DETOUR is now on the website, and this picture, as yet unnamed is next to be added, once it’s finished and dry. Funny how it seamlessly blends in with the studio wall. That’s how it goes sometimes.
A new series of work titled: Journey Of A Lifetime
Currently Untitled, mixed media on panel, 77 x 77 cm.
You often see mixed media on… what does it mean in this case? On this painting, the black colour is a mixture of a household paint used to protect wood from the elements, and a standard artist’s acrylic paint. The red colour is artist’s acrylic paint. There’s also plenty of charcoal, some aerosol paint, and finally, tap water. The panel is a plywood surface, primed with gesso and mounted on a very sturdy frame.
INSPIRED BY THE VIEW.
From brutalist sharp edged skyscrapers to rural curves and skies, inspiration has transformed output. The gentle curves of the hills to the west have influenced a softer approach to painting (see the ‘GC’ gallery in the main menu). Here are some phone snaps of the view with a variety of different skies.
STUDIO
A small room at the top of the house provides the best outlook…
