Don Richards
Don Richards
The creative side of my life has always been split between the public, extrovert expression of ideas and emotions through music, and the private, usually solitary process of making art works in various forms. The two apparently distinct ways of making sense of the world do have more in common than might be thought.
The world of jazz, a small part of which I have inhabited for many years, attracts musicians who wish to explore music through improvisation. In the same way that a solo finds its structure as it progresses, a painting or sculpture develops and changes as the process of making it unfolds. I may have a broad idea of how a sculpture will look when finished, and perhaps some sketches, but as the figures seem to develop a personality, they seem to decide for themselves what the final outcome will be. For this reason, the sculptures are constructed without a rigid armature so that there is always flexibility. More than once I have sawn through a neck or arm in order to reposition it, a slightly uncomfortable feeling!
Some of my work has used music or musicians as subject matter, and the paintings I have been doing recently take as their starting point old photographs with a personal connection. One sculpture, illustrated here, is of a trumpet player, a little world weary but clutching his instrument as if he would be lost without it, has elements of autobiography within it. This piece is located in a hotel near Sheffield.
Where I have been lacking in improvising beyond the familiar is in the range of materials used in the sculpture, something I hope to address in the future. My two dimensional work could benefit too from more variety of media, another good intention I hope to realise. However my work evolves, the influence of music will always be present.
The creative side of my life has always been split between the public, extrovert expression of ideas and emotions through music, and the private, usually solitary process of making art works in various forms. The two apparently distinct ways of making sense of the world do have more in common than might be thought.
The world of jazz, a small part of which I have inhabited for many years, attracts musicians who wish to explore music through improvisation. In the same way that a solo finds its structure as it progresses, a painting or sculpture develops and changes as the process of making it unfolds. I may have a broad idea of how a sculpture will look when finished, and perhaps some sketches, but as the figures seem to develop a personality, they seem to decide for themselves what the final outcome will be. For this reason, the sculptures are constructed without a rigid armature so that there is always flexibility. More than once I have sawn through a neck or arm in order to reposition it, a slightly uncomfortable feeling!
Some of my work has used music or musicians as subject matter, and the paintings I have been doing recently take as their starting point old photographs with a personal connection. One sculpture, illustrated here, is of a trumpet player, a little world weary but clutching his instrument as if he would be lost without it, has elements of autobiography within it. This piece is located in a hotel near Sheffield.
Where I have been lacking in improvising beyond the familiar is in the range of materials used in the sculpture, something I hope to address in the future. My two dimensional work could benefit too from more variety of media, another good intention I hope to realise. However my work evolves, the influence of music will always be present.
Interview
What is your background and training in the visual arts?
I took a degree in Fine Art (Painting) at Reading University in the 1950s and became and remained a full time art teacher. I continued to paint and exhibit regularly for many years until diverted by extra responsibilities at work and my other obsession, playing the jazz trumpet. When I had time to revisit the art world, I started making figure sculptures in card, paper and paste, and then also began to paint again.
What is your background and training in the visual arts?
I took a degree in Fine Art (Painting) at Reading University in the 1950s and became and remained a full time art teacher. I continued to paint and exhibit regularly for many years until diverted by extra responsibilities at work and my other obsession, playing the jazz trumpet. When I had time to revisit the art world, I started making figure sculptures in card, paper and paste, and then also began to paint again.
What provides you with your main themes and subject matter?
Perhaps because of my training which concentrated a great deal on life drawing, the human figure has been at the heart of my work, in both two and three dimensions, although my sketchbooks show a strong interest in the built environment in many parts of the world. The paintings in oils draw on the experience of travel, and recently, imaginative pieces inspired by my own sculptures.
Perhaps because of my training which concentrated a great deal on life drawing, the human figure has been at the heart of my work, in both two and three dimensions, although my sketchbooks show a strong interest in the built environment in many parts of the world. The paintings in oils draw on the experience of travel, and recently, imaginative pieces inspired by my own sculptures.
How do you set about the making of a sculpture in your chosen materials?
Waste card in the form of boxes, tubes and other salvaged pieces form the armature. I don't like to use chicken wire or other metals because it would limit my ability to make radical changes as the piece progresses. Newspaper and cellulose paste are used to bind everything together and gradually, together with thinner card, build the finer parts of the structure. The finish is normally still paper, either plain newsprint, coloured tissue or printed newspaper. Then PVA glue and finally a matt water based varnish.
Waste card in the form of boxes, tubes and other salvaged pieces form the armature. I don't like to use chicken wire or other metals because it would limit my ability to make radical changes as the piece progresses. Newspaper and cellulose paste are used to bind everything together and gradually, together with thinner card, build the finer parts of the structure. The finish is normally still paper, either plain newsprint, coloured tissue or printed newspaper. Then PVA glue and finally a matt water based varnish.
Where do you do your work?
I have a tiny studio at the top of the house. Usually everything is done there although working outside in hot weather on the sculptures means the drying process is much quicker. Paintings use sketches or my own photos.
I have a tiny studio at the top of the house. Usually everything is done there although working outside in hot weather on the sculptures means the drying process is much quicker. Paintings use sketches or my own photos.
What are you working on now, or hope to start in the future?
I am concentrating on painting and am in the process of developing some pieces based on my life in music. The next sculptures will probably be a little smaller than in the past.
I am concentrating on painting and am in the process of developing some pieces based on my life in music. The next sculptures will probably be a little smaller than in the past.
© 2D3D South Contemporary Art, 2018