Artist Bio
After completing a profession in education as a photographer/graphic designer, Richard started a second career in Fine Art Photography. He is representing his work in national and international exhibitions, where he has won numerous awards. He received a BA degree in Studio Art from Hope College, where he experimented with photo imagery and went on to complete graduate work in intaglio printmaking at Michigan State University.
Artist Statement
The images on this website are black & white and color photomontages. They are computer assembled from a myriad of photographs using a rigorous selection process. The use of formal composition is integral in my image creation. A key inspiration is from the painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by George Seurat. In my montages as in Seurat’s painting, the background serves as a stage on which figures and props are meticulously arranged. The resulting creations blur the boundaries separating photography and painting through the use of computer enhancement.
My works emerge like visionary postcards sent from 20th century America. Their narratives are fueled by thoughts and visuals gleaned from Modernism, television and film entertainment, Madison Avenue, Pop Art and nostalgia. I am freely playing with America’s embellished past as I present staged scenes of everyday life and carefully arranged still lifes where reality and dream coexist.