Richard, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Like a lot of my generation ( Gen X ), I had a childhood with a lot of freedom and autonomy. Both of my parents, who divorced when I was eight, held full time jobs so I was free to roam around the neighborhood, run in the woods, ride my bike, play loud music – pretty much do whatever I wanted to do so long as I was home in time for supper.
My background is solidly blue collar. My mom was a nurse and my dad was a mechanic and salesman, who later helped my stepmom run their own business. We moved from the slate belt of Pennsylvania (where I was born) to Indiana (where I grew up) and although the Midwest was a fairly safe and gentle place to grow up, I never really felt like I fit in – until I found art.
Thankfully, the public schools in Elkhart, IN had decent funding for their art programs. By the time I was in high school, we had access to painting, drawing, photography, sculpture and clay – and four art teachers! That was it, I was hooked.
In college I began to really focus on visual art, though my first love of music remains really important to me. When I am thinking through an idea in the studio, I’ll often pick up a guitar and play, allowing things to sort themselves out in my head. I also like to get together with friends who play, and of course I go out to see live music at local venues. Music remains a really important part of my process.
I did my undergraduate work, receiving my B.F.A., in Illinois, then I moved back to the east coast and went for my Master’s of Art in upstate New York. After that, Maine called.
Maine has an incredible artist community and it has been an amazing place to live and create for the past 25 years. It is home. Here I have found inspiration, established my career and found friends that became family, as well as a wife and family that understand what I need to be doing as an artist.