Dick's Studio is located in Amherst, NH

   I was born in  1935.  It wasn't until I was 35 years old that I took my first art class.  It was at a local adult evening school in Toms River, NJ.  I started painting in oils.  Following the advise of artist, John Carlson, in his book on landscape painting, I decided I would first master the medium of oils before moving on to watercolors.  Now, more than 35 years later, I am still trying to master the oil medium.

 Among the artists who I feel have most influenced my efforts as a painter are 20th Century Realists, Edward Hopper and Carlson.  My approach to painting is rather simple.  I paint subjects I like such as old houses, barns, rural landscapes or seascapes.  When I'm not sure what to paint, I might go for a still life, which includes a glass of wine, so I can drink the wine while I paint. While I attempt to represent what I see, I also seek to create a mood or response which I know or sense from the subject.  Sometimes, I'll paint spontaneously and fast.  The results are often mixed.  If I'm lucky, the painting can turn out surprisingly good.  More often, it's unsurprisingly bad.  So much for spontaneity.  So, while I may still paint rather quickly,  I'll first try to plan the composition; think of ways to simplify; determine the source and movement of light and how best to effect the illusion of space. When I do this, there's a good chance the painting will represent what I had in mind.  It would be nice to say that I seek to reach into the souls of unknown viewers as some artist statements assert, but that wouldn't be true.  It is all about me.  And, to me, it is not an intellectural process, but rather an expression of feeling.  In fact, as one close friend would suggest, If I attempted to use an intellectural approach, my canvas would be blank!

   While the above photo shows me doing a plein air painting, which I sometimes do, most of my work is done in the studio from photographs which I take. 

   Over the years, I have won over 80 awards at local, regional and national exhibits, including the Honors (1st Place) for Oils at the 2007 Academic Artists Association's 57th National Exhibition of Contemporary Realism in Art for the landscape painting, "Autumn Leaves" and the Jack Richeson Award for the Association's 59th Exhibition for the seascape, "Maine Coast".

  
I can be reached at 603 673-6819.