2008 Woodie Awards
East Coast artist 'echoes past' in paintings
By: Kirk Watkins
Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: Lifestyle
- Page 1 of 1
At first glance, the large paintings hanging on the walls of the Cecille R. Hunt Gallery seem random: patterns of geometric shapes and shades interacting in seemingly erratic ways. But after a harder look at the paintings, myriad layers of shade, light and depth mix within the frames and hit your senses with much more than what was first apparent.
The show, "W.C. Richardson," opened Oct. 12. Richardson, a Washington, D.C.- based artist, is an associate professor of painting and drawing in the Department of Art at the University of Maryland,
College Park.
Richardson was on campus the day of the opening to talk about his works. According to John Watson, a sculpture professor and a former student of Richardson who studied under him in Maryland from 1999 to 2001, Richardson focused his lecture on his work from the early '80s to the
present day.
Watson, who keeps in regular contact with Richardson, said even though Richardson has been doing this type of work for many years, he could see a definite difference in the each piece.
"An artist is constantly progressing, moving forward, changing," Watson said. "He is an example of an artist who puts a daily practice of painting in the forefront of his life. He's in the studio every day painting, and I think that is evidenced in his work."
The paintings are not easy to create. Richardson said the process for making the artwork is painstakingly slow, each taking about a month to create.
"There's eight layers to get this," he said, pointing to a pattern of shades and shapes that seemed to go in and out of focus the longer it was studied.
"I'm putting paint on the canvas and wiping it off and laying it on in transparent layers," Richardson said. "Some of them have even more layers, and in every one, you can see echoes of work that I have done in the past. Although there is a graphic immediacy, the exact effect I'm going for is the second look, the third look."
He said painting was an art that was counter to the type of art that is so
prevalent today.
"A lot of the arts now are so dynamic. We have so much more physical capability, technically," he said. "Painting is like the Delta Blues, you know. It's so cool."
His paintings seem to be trying to convey this. Richardson said he averages about 12 paintings a year.
"I guess I could churn out more if I mechanized the process, but I want each one to do something different, even though they are obviously connected,"
Richardson said.
Sheri Gonzalez, a senior art major, was captivated by the effects the paintings had on her, as she peered intently at one of Richardson's paintings.
"I really like it; the use of space and color has this really freeing aspect to it," Gonzalez said. "But at the same time, it changes its order and sensibility, mixing with
electric patterns."
Richardson's show will continue through Nov. 9.
The show, "W.C. Richardson," opened Oct. 12. Richardson, a Washington, D.C.- based artist, is an associate professor of painting and drawing in the Department of Art at the University of Maryland,
College Park.
Richardson was on campus the day of the opening to talk about his works. According to John Watson, a sculpture professor and a former student of Richardson who studied under him in Maryland from 1999 to 2001, Richardson focused his lecture on his work from the early '80s to the
present day.
Watson, who keeps in regular contact with Richardson, said even though Richardson has been doing this type of work for many years, he could see a definite difference in the each piece.
"An artist is constantly progressing, moving forward, changing," Watson said. "He is an example of an artist who puts a daily practice of painting in the forefront of his life. He's in the studio every day painting, and I think that is evidenced in his work."
The paintings are not easy to create. Richardson said the process for making the artwork is painstakingly slow, each taking about a month to create.
"There's eight layers to get this," he said, pointing to a pattern of shades and shapes that seemed to go in and out of focus the longer it was studied.
"I'm putting paint on the canvas and wiping it off and laying it on in transparent layers," Richardson said. "Some of them have even more layers, and in every one, you can see echoes of work that I have done in the past. Although there is a graphic immediacy, the exact effect I'm going for is the second look, the third look."
He said painting was an art that was counter to the type of art that is so
prevalent today.
"A lot of the arts now are so dynamic. We have so much more physical capability, technically," he said. "Painting is like the Delta Blues, you know. It's so cool."
His paintings seem to be trying to convey this. Richardson said he averages about 12 paintings a year.
"I guess I could churn out more if I mechanized the process, but I want each one to do something different, even though they are obviously connected,"
Richardson said.
Sheri Gonzalez, a senior art major, was captivated by the effects the paintings had on her, as she peered intently at one of Richardson's paintings.
"I really like it; the use of space and color has this really freeing aspect to it," Gonzalez said. "But at the same time, it changes its order and sensibility, mixing with
electric patterns."
Richardson's show will continue through Nov. 9.
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