Barbara Richardson RBA

Statement

Over the years I have amassed a great deal of still life objects and some I paint repeatedly. I try to catch the transient beauty of flowers and am fascinated by the problems involved in painting portraits.

There are many painters who inspire me and I go often to our great collections and loan exhibitions, trying hard always to look in order to learn.

Methodology

I draw in sketchbooks or on any paper to hand, using pencil or pen and ink, deciding both what to paint or just because I love to.

I paint in oils as they are a flexible medium and stay wet long enough to make changes. Working with both sable and hog hair brushes on hardboard primed with acrylic gesso or stretched canvas I take differing amounts of time to complete a work, sometimes quite quickly in a few days but at others I may go on for much longer.

I also paint with watercolours, adding gouache and pastel sometimes and love trying to combine a delicate feel with a strong and convincing image.

Bio

Barbara studied at Chelsea School of Art, Manresa Road from 1975 to 1979 and was awarded the Christopher Head Scholarship for Drawing in 1978 and also represented the college at the RP in the same year. Barbara’s tutors included Patrick Symons RA and Norman Blamey. Both Sheila Fell and Euan Uglow were amongst visiting staff to the life room.

Barbara has featured in several publications including the Sunday Telegraph, The Arts Review and The Artist magazine.

In 1996 she was elected an Associate member of the RBA, becoming a full member in 1998. She is an RBA council member and was their newsletter editor from 2004 to 2009. Elected to the Small Paintings Group in 2007, she has been the Hon. Secretary since 2010.

She is involved in figurative art and paints still life in both oils and watercolours, and portraits in oil.

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