Richard Sperry
Born in 1964 in the western suburbs of Chicago, Richard was encouraged by enthusiastic art teachers from an early age. He began drawing at age six and painting in his teens. He has studied art, taking classes throughout his life’s education, attending classes, workshops and colleges, including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. However, Richard is primarily self-trained, and attributes much of his artistic expressions to experimentation, observation and passion.
The artist considers himself an outsider and states, "It is nature in all its symbiotic relationships that inspire my interpretation of every day life". He adds, "I have experimented with mediums, sheens and patterns to echo rhythms of that nature". More than painting a person, place or thing, Sperry creates emotionally charged layers of textures, colors and images that are raw, spontaneous and often stream of consciousness. "I splash, splatter, flick, fling, drip, pour, and carve the paint with a palette knife enhancing each piece with brush work to create a fractal sense of depth," often juxtaposing archetypal imagery. Whether he is painting representational, non-objective or transitional works, his subject and technique give each work a sense of universal relation and power. Sperry’s work is highly color sensitive, rich and earthy.. He begins each piece as a three color splash painting. By applying glazes and metallic highlights he creates a luminescent surface that shifts with changing light or angle. This characteristic allows varying perceptions for the viewer.
Richard is a member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society, Chicago Artists Coalition, as well as the Dupage and Naperville Art Leagues. He has exhibited and shown his work throughout the Chicago land area. Sperry has participated in art festivals, private one man shows, and been represented by area galleries since 2005. He has earned several awards of merit in local juried exhibits, reviews and articles written; Chicago Free Press, The Sun, Dailey Herald and American Art collectors magazine.
ARTIST STATEMENT~
Art is! Each work speaks to us as individuals. The humanities for me are what define and exhilarate us allowing for truth in communication. Aesthetic experience transcends most others and has the potential to break down barriers and relate us all through common expressions of art, nature and soul. My ambition is to promote a world view that is inclusive, evoking an emotional response, allowing each viewer to identify themselves on their own terms in my paintings. In my works, I try to keep them fresh and raw, drawing on my emotions and always playing the line between representational and non-rep forms, an abstract with a horizon line, a figure broken down into its essential shapes, textures and colors, a composition by design. If the viewer is moved toward feelings of charity, hope, and peace the most important message has been conveyed.
The artist considers himself an outsider and states, "It is nature in all its symbiotic relationships that inspire my interpretation of every day life". He adds, "I have experimented with mediums, sheens and patterns to echo rhythms of that nature". More than painting a person, place or thing, Sperry creates emotionally charged layers of textures, colors and images that are raw, spontaneous and often stream of consciousness. "I splash, splatter, flick, fling, drip, pour, and carve the paint with a palette knife enhancing each piece with brush work to create a fractal sense of depth," often juxtaposing archetypal imagery. Whether he is painting representational, non-objective or transitional works, his subject and technique give each work a sense of universal relation and power. Sperry’s work is highly color sensitive, rich and earthy.. He begins each piece as a three color splash painting. By applying glazes and metallic highlights he creates a luminescent surface that shifts with changing light or angle. This characteristic allows varying perceptions for the viewer.
Richard is a member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society, Chicago Artists Coalition, as well as the Dupage and Naperville Art Leagues. He has exhibited and shown his work throughout the Chicago land area. Sperry has participated in art festivals, private one man shows, and been represented by area galleries since 2005. He has earned several awards of merit in local juried exhibits, reviews and articles written; Chicago Free Press, The Sun, Dailey Herald and American Art collectors magazine.
ARTIST STATEMENT~
Art is! Each work speaks to us as individuals. The humanities for me are what define and exhilarate us allowing for truth in communication. Aesthetic experience transcends most others and has the potential to break down barriers and relate us all through common expressions of art, nature and soul. My ambition is to promote a world view that is inclusive, evoking an emotional response, allowing each viewer to identify themselves on their own terms in my paintings. In my works, I try to keep them fresh and raw, drawing on my emotions and always playing the line between representational and non-rep forms, an abstract with a horizon line, a figure broken down into its essential shapes, textures and colors, a composition by design. If the viewer is moved toward feelings of charity, hope, and peace the most important message has been conveyed.