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Deadlines being the mother of invention, Rich set to work after graduating from art school. When he moved to New York’s Lower East Side, like every New York artist a million dollars shy of being a millionaire, he had to concentrate on working small, for simple lack of workspace. He took up watercolor and ink on paper as his primary media, lacquering the results when finished. With an eye toward the human vernacular of hieroglyphics and Byzantine painting, he concentrated on refining his characters composing his pieces, focusing on the narrative possibilities of the work. Originally, this meant using characters to enact events in his life, presumably with a few more bloody and violent embellishments. Over time, that focus has shifted. “Recently, doing this more and more and more, it gets dry, using your own shit,” says Richard. “The imagery is very solid, but the product is more about being thought-provoking, but a little more loosely.”
In 2005, Richard left the stink of New York and moved to Hollywood. He’s got a studio now, and enough space to work with greater freedom of size and media. His challenges now involve keeping up with the demand for his work alongside the constant change and development as an artist. It’s a happier place, with happier challenges. Even so, there’s no reason to expect Richard to be complacent any time soon.
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