Art, Nature & Soul #110

I’ve not ever been one for roller coasters, that said the art business has always been a bit of a roller coaster. Sometimes you hit those highs, other times low, lows and one thing for sure you just keep , keeping on, moving forward…creating art, exhibiting it and making those collector connections when you can. I welcome commissions and have started 2026 with 5 on my easel for 3 different collectors, each having acquired pieces from me before, some several artworks.

Commissions offer certain challenges, the primary one bridging someone else’s vision with your own. This is why the number #1 priority is making sure the person knows & understands as an artist you do what you do and if they’re looking for something different, perhaps finding another artist to do the job is the ticket.,

This, 2 piece commissioned abstract is completed. Each piece is 20”x 40” mixed media gallery wrapped cotton duck. This collector has 2 other of my artworks in their collection, one a Chicago Theater piece in there Illinois home, the second an abstract for their Florida home and these 2 will be added to there as well. Here’s what they said when I texted an image of the new pieces…”Richard can’t tell you how much we love them…Can’t thank you enough. Can’t wait to hang them.” Richard & Mary P.

Another long time collector had chimed in on a post that was acknowledging that American Crow Homage had sold to a new collector, this being his second piece added to his Sperry collection.

Suzanne K.

Reminds me of VanGogh painting. What is the size of painting? Love this!

Richard R. Sperry

Suzanne K., it’s 30”x30” and just sold . He said the same thing. lol

Richard R. Sperry

Thank you.

Suzanne K.

May come into shop to talk to you about something similar.

Richard R. Sperry

Suzanne K. love to see you and talk art

So with further direction, it being 18”x14” with a bit more gold tones I set forth to paint it. When she came in to the gallery to choose a frame for it, she saw another of my artworks, Cliffs at Highland Light and asked if I could paint a smaller, 14”x 18” variation of it, so I did, with her adding both pieces to her collection. Sue is a long time collector of my artwork, going back over 20 years having purchased a piece from a series, enthusiastically received, the tree of life, drip artworks.

The other potential commission was for a couple that had acquired a piece, The Aragon, just before Christmas 2025. At that time she had expressed her like and interest in a serene & calming piece from my successful Meditations series. Only they wanted it a bit larger, 60”x40” and for their Wisconsin home.

I went through some of my photo references and found one immediately. After some weeks The piece was painted in my head and I knew I had to put in on canvas, so I did. Working diligently, it was completed at the end of January 2026. I photographed it and sent an image to her, her response was. “It’s beautiful but not what I’m envisioning for the space. Thank you for thinking of us and your consideration! Your talented.” Brenda C.

Its a piece I felt compelled to paint, so no worries here and I hope to give it another whirl down the road, as for now it will be showcased at the gallery, along with a few other beach pieces during our winter cold snap vortex here in Chicagoland.

Another client saw it and commissioned me to do a smaller variation and so I did, entitled ,Peaceful Shores 18"x14" oil.

What a great start to my 2026 painting year, I’m grateful for every challenge and gift given & received.

If you’ve ever had an idea or thought to have a commissioned piece done and my work aligns stylistically with your vision, feel free to contact me and discuss the possibilities. I’m easy to work with, love the challenges and look forward to making your vision a reality.

As always your question are welcome,

Richard

My life is a complete work of art and I won't deny one part of it support another. ~R. Sperry

‘Birds Of Paradise #1 & #2, mixed-media/ SOLD private collection

‘As a Crow Flies’ 14”x18” oil/ SOLD private colection

‘Cliffs’ 14”x18” oil/ SOLD private collection

Peaceful Easy Feeling 60”x40” oil available at Proud Fox Gallery & Frame Shop, Geneva Il.

,Peaceful Shores 18"x14" oil

Art, Nature & Soul #46

Earlier this year, summer 2020, I was able to attend the MONET Exhibit at the Art Institute Chicago. Having been creating art since I was a young child & having been in the art, design & custom framing business low these 35 years past, I’ve come to understand that art is a lifelong pursuit, passion & learning experience. Currently on my larger more detailed artworks I’ve been doing more layering of color, especially in my mixed media pieces. Having got up close & studying these master works of Monet’s, I observed, that from a distance, like in a photo our eyes averages the image to their beauty, but that viewing just inches from the surface and having done some reading on the subject, discovered they are but layered amounts of pattern and paint done not, for the most part, in one sitting(alla prima), but many outdoor sessions (en plein air)and finishing up in the studio. As with all things, I’ve taken a more unconventional way of achieving my own goals, in observation and in execution, and in this case a more abstract realistic approach in my artwork, thus ‘Stairway to Heaven’ lyric is constantly playing in my head. But alas, here we are .

“If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
Don't be alarmed now
It's just a spring clean for the May queen
Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on
And it makes me wonder”

Zeppelin (Songwriters: Jimmy Page / Robert Plant)

I work from life, photos & my imagination. In this case I took 5 different photos and created the desired composition and dynamic you see here. Each of the photos had different elements I wanted to show and express, from the varied flowers, color & shapes, to the grown over path that runs through the center of the piece. From creating the composition, until its completion took about 3 weeks. It’s all about the layered in mediums and the slow build, in these type works.

In this piece I wanted both the muted undertones, as well as the bright light high key ones. I began, as always with a drip and splatter underpainting, this one in an acrylic prism violet. Then, using a brush, laid in the colors intended, taking my palette knife and blending them together, to a muted coloration, while blocking in shapes, thus creating the preliminary composition to build off of. Once achieved, several palette knives, scratching tools, brushes and tissues were used to move the the paint around to create the image of a natural flower garden. Ebony pencil & 18k gold pen were used to enhance line and give depth. Oil pastel was then used to give more texture, color & pattern, enhancing the broken color and giving the more free design elements of scribble. My trademark of 18k gold leaf was laid in at the top, in the path as light hitting the edge. Taking my palette knife and pure color straight from the tube, I moved about the canvas dropping in bright happy color, thus scratching in my signature, it was complete & posted on social media.

*Me~ Woke up about 1:30am and couldn't get back to sleep, rolled out of bed about 2:30am...had some tea, read some Vonnegut and completed this 48"x24" mixed media piece, but it needs a title, any ideas???

One of the many, many responses was from a collector of my artwork. While I had been reading Vonnegut’s ‘Bluebeard’ ( a tongue in cheek romp through the abstract expressionist movement of the 50s) earlier that morning….Chris’s sentiments reminded of another of K.V.s novels.~

Chris G.

“Visions of Vonnegut. Very cool.”

In 79’-80’ish I read 'Slapstick' it was my first Kurt Vonnegut read. I was immediately hooked. If you haven't read it, it's a futuristic tale in which all the people of the world are assigned middle names, of flowers randomly. Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain, is the main character. Which ever flower you are, connects you to all the other like flowers, as family, so you are never alone. I'm partial to sunflowers, so that makes me Richard Sunflower-1 Sperry. What’s your flower? Are we family? Here’s where we all gather, mingle and dance, in the sun and a light breeze. After some thought a variation was settled on.

'Vonnegut's Garden' 48"x24" framed (a white traditional frame, as seen or a more contemporary clean line, black frame, its your choice) mixed media on canvas, $2400.oo. (plus a complimentary mini-me 12" square oil of your choice a $350.oo value). Message me with further questions on how this can be acquired. It can be shipped. (free mini-me of your choice with purchase of ‘Vonnegut’s Garden’ expires 12/31/2020)

preliminary underpainting, an abstract

Vonnegut’s Garden/completed

Center detail

framed in a traditional white, though a contemporary clean line black, works well too.

a more contemporary, clean line, black frame

Art, Nature & Soul #45

*For me, the best thing about Facebook, has been connecting with friends and family, meeting new people from all over the country and even more so, the world. Early November last year 2019, one of my Facebook friends, an artist in France, posted that her grandson had passed on. I was moved, even more so feeling compelled by an overwhelming sense of compassion to create a memoriam, a tribute, a painted 'Homage to Francis' , her grandson, a person I did not know, for a person I know only through Facebook. I gathered from her posts the information needed, hoping to honor his life, in some small way, from the brief glimpse I was allowed to share in. My greatest desire was to convey that when a young person is taken so soon, when they pass on, that you are not alone, for the whole world mourns with you and for them. To create a visual assertion that sometimes what may look like the sun setting, is really the sun rising. To say, we are one, of one world, one love, and in this oneness that we are not separate, but completely, utterly and powerfully connected...always.

After gathering images & info to work from, I choose a 36” square stretched canvas and did a tonal drip & splatter in prism violet as a base color in which to do my preliminary figure sketch & wash upon. Using my oils blocking in the shapes, the figure began to emerge. I tend to work wet in wet, however in this piece some dry brush enhancement and details were added over time. Next, using ebony pencil & 18k gold marker, a bit of graffiti was added in both word and symbols. Each symbol & word, were meaningful additions to the memoriam. Some were direct pieces of information & images from his life. A few like a victor Hugo quote, important dates, his name FRANCIS, were all carefully added, as were the symbolic imagery, such as my trademark figure 8 or mobius strip, representing eternity. Also the signature addition of 18k gold leaf was added toward it’s completion. In this case, depicting the soul as an angel. A multitude of others exist within the composition if one takes the the time to look for them and ponder their meaning, as does the expression on his face suggest. As usual I tried not to over think my approach, but let my emotions & more intuitive instincts prevail.

"I say that on the tomb , which on the dead closes - Open the firmament . - And what here below we take for the end - Is the beginning ." ~Victor Hugo

Upon completion, I contacted & messaged my Facebook friend showing & telling her what I had done and affirming that it was painted with the utmost respect & love, asking permission to post it. She responded~

“Many thanks dear Richard for your paint , I like very much your hommage of Francis , je vais partager”

J.R.-R.

The response was a success & overwhelming, the ‘Homage to Francis’ seemed to speak to and reach the hearts of those I had hoped to.

Art should speak volumes to the time in which its created, to the thoughts, the people, & places of those fleeting moments we call life. My sincerest hope is that this piece does.

As always your comments are welcome.

~Richard

'Homage to Francis' 36"x36" mixed media on canvas

Homage to Francis’

Detail