Art, Nature & Soul #66

Lemme Take You To The Beach~

There’s a pond behind our home, another at the park we walk everyday and I’m walking distance to the Fox river…Lake Michigan, Superior & Erie are all bodies of water I frequent annually, but it’s the vast Atlantic ocean that beckons me. I love sitting around bodies of water and painting them, but its beach time that calls me home, whether we are there alone or surrounded be 100’s of others that have flocked there for similar reason’s, the peace, calm & serenity, joy & bliss that bodies of water instill.

The ever changing seasonal flora & fauna around bodies of water make them especially attractive to me. There’s a peaceful and all encompassing sense of universal belonging & forever, that fills my every sense. I’m lost in my thoughts near these areas where land & sky meet water, transcending all else, accept my feeling of connectedness to all life… a thought, a realization. a meditation of oneness.

This grouping of paintings, where the subject is the ocean & beaches. From top, left to right is, a group of plein-air artists on Herring Cove on Cape Cod, the 1 st day of harvest moon rising over Martha’s Vineyard, the lighthouse at Race Point in Provincetown, MA. with a few beachcombers, a pier over the Pacific, swimmer’s, a piece inspired by a film and a snorkeling adventure in Key West & a film, the pier that reaches out over St. Augustine Beach Florida, Marconi Beach on the Cape in Massachusetts, Seagulls & Sand Pipers on a beach, either St. Simons GA. or Flagler Beach FL. & the path on the beach that reaches out to the Atlantic from a favorite little eatery in Ptown, the Canteen. These are the places that inspired me to paint them, but what they remind you of , where they bring you & your imagination and stories you create, is up to you.

I paint on location, take lots of photos references, to paint in the studio & use my imagination to create these compositions. I’ll do a kinetic high energy, drip & splatter painting in acrylic paint, to compliment or spike the colors that will become the painting, Then using my arsenal of oil paints & utensils, brushes, palette knives, sculpting tools, tissues and a finger or 2, I go to work in a high energy, free flowing, & spontaneous way, to share the mood & movement of the scene. The initial concept is the thing, for once the image is in my head, it’s a simply a matter of getting in down on canvas as quickly & honestly as possible. Often times with this Frank Zappa tune repeating it self, over & over again, in my head…so, ”Lemme Take You To The Beach, la,la,la,la…laaa.”

I hope you’ve enjoyed this bit of insight into my process & mind.

Message me with any thoughts or questions you may have,

Richard

Art, Nature & Soul #65

‘The Artist’s Palette"‘ is a new series of ongoing abstracts I’ll be putting out there for your consideration.

Over the years when I’ve completed an abstract, often times I think to myself it looks like an artists palette, mine in fact. I’m usually working on several artworks, both representational & abstract, at any given time, so the color palettes are often similar as they… the multi disciplines, echoes & rhythms are always playing off each other, in my work, for me, and ever present in my thoughts is this~

WE, ALL LIFE, ARE ORGANIC ALGORITHMS RECOGNIZING MATHEMATICAL PATTERNS OF FRACTALS x CHAOS, MADE OF THE INDESTRUCTIBLE MATTER & ENERGY OF SYNCHRONICITY IN THE COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUSNESS OF THE SPACE TIME CONTINUUM...stardust be it named, the universe or God.

Like ripples on water or the breeze in the wind, a close up view of a wild flower patch, sand on the beach or the night sky, the patterns within patterns with patterns are the enigma we call life. These patterns are ever present whether we notice them or not, importantly we can repeat them and create them as prescribed by nature, life, the universe & everything.

Chaos changes the patterns, the new pattern changes the outcome & design, but if we can’t change anything because it’s already happened, then we may as well smoke flowers. I believe we can, we do change the outcome. As such it’s our our responsibility, if not our prerogative to try.

These novelty artworks reflect that idea and echo that sentiment. Most if not all palettes are initially used in the creation of one of my standard paintings, either representational or abstract. All though I must confess, sometimes I’m overwhelmed & inspired to push paint & color around, create textures & designs. These make a perfect impromptu painterly emotional escape for me. Each are a 9”x12” on wood palette and have an introductory price of $100. directly from me, the painter.

Your questions & comments are welcome. Message me if you’re interested in acquiring one of “The Artist’s Palette” pieces. ~Richard

Art, Nature & Soul #64

Pride x Infinity Squared = Love, was the working title as I built this painting up, layer by layer, medium by medium. An aerial view, of us, the viewer, hovering over the two figures… 2 people as they float face to face embracing in water, contemplating leaning in to kiss. They are the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character, hence the essence of being, their being complete in a sort of mobius strip configuration, of pure energy, infinite.

Today, everyone has their pronouns, especially from our youths, in their teens & 20’s it’s commanded, it’s demanded, it’s decided, at least for today. That so stated I declare myself a ‘Queer af Thon’, air quotes intended, which is to say that’s for me to decide, but expect the unexpected with a dash of the obscure ‘That One’ or ‘The One’. But back in my day or rather my youth, I remember, upon months before my first marriage to a woman, that my soon to be father in law , that is to say, her father sent us to a seminar, in our teens, that was to help us grow into successful, productive & happy adults. (*note-I was to marry another female before deciding on the male, whom my life partner was to be. All, persons were aware of my ‘more queer nature’.) I recall the speaker working his way around to me and asking, “who are you, what do you see yourself doing & being in 5 years?” I , of course had heard the multitude of rather hopeful but dry answers from other male & female participants in the audience. With that, I stood tall, firm and with a bit of a tone & an attitude and stated, “I AM” and sat back down. The speaker asked for me to elaborate, again I stood and repeated, “I AM” sat down, as he soon moved on, me unmoved.

So let me explain what I meant & mean, "I Am that I Am" let me repeat "I am who I am", "I will become what I choose to become", "I am what I am", "I will be what I will be", "I create what(ever) I create", and "I am the Existing One", which is for me to decide on my own terms, in my own time, transcendent, of all else, without need to justify, so long as no one gets hurt, intentionally.

After watching a coming of age LGBTQIA film where 2 youths discover who they are and fall in love, I was inspired to paint this piece, So I began by drawing the figures in water. Then began the layering of acrylic paint…iridescent & interference colors adding as a 3rd & 4th layer. Adding oil paint I began to block in the shapes, then using my ebony pencil added some relevant to the theme symbols and words, continuing with more oil paints, oil pastel, 18k gold paint, until finally using charcoal to add high contrast/dissolve and my signature 18k gold leaf, my vision was complete. This being the ambiguous & androgenous nature of the figures in love, as they embrace. As their gender, sexuality & identity was self defined & secondary to love, with the only thing needed from the outside world, being acknowledgement & acceptance, without judgement, criticism or reason, unconditionally. So I dare you, put yourself in the painting, we are all these 2 person’s, searching, in love, when that person that completes us, our mate is found. This “IS-FREEDOM” & self evident, our right to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" as so phrased in the United States Declaration of Independence & have a Happy 4th of July, 2022.

Your comments & questions are welcome, Richard

‘ESSENCE” 30”x30” mixed media

Art, Nature & Soul #63

An artist friend wrote to me in regard to an abstract expressionist piece I had just completed & posted on one of the social media platforms I’m on.

Gabriela M. from Argentina,

“This one is guarding her! I liked it a lot! It reminded me of another face.de Abstraction that I did.. that I adored and here they purposely upload Realism to moan... no need to bother Antiques. I already showed that I do Realism well and I prefer Abstract... and other styles Like minimalism or Informalism and Suprematism included in the line of Abstract. and I generate 4 lines discovered by me that I upload them and they don't support me, maybe a chicken with potatoes. or a worthless cartoon. guys no one knows who he is! He doesn't even do it. It's clear that being an artist is not being these people! Fight FOR your taste. friend. luck!!! There is nothing that suits them good only evil.. the discouraged. envy me being me. bad people. thankful that I have some friends who pretend to be seen. They talk to you. they support you. . the other ghosts!?”

“The other ghosts”, and yes most of us can draw & paint the more realistic and representational, as well, but we are the persons who see beyond the more traditional conventions of the day. It’s interesting how some viewers, other painters included, simply do not understand it or get it, abstract artwork that is. To me it seems so simple. I found myself explaining my work to an interested party, enticing them to participate at the gallery, just the other day, when they remarked, “You do everything,” in regards to both the representational and abstract nature of my work. “Can you tell me a bit about it? What inspires you?"” To which I responded , “I feel they are the same and play off each other. Do you know what fractals are? Patterns within patterns that exist in everything under a microscope to those seen from the largest telescope. Energy traces, the patterns are echoes of each other, from the smallest to the largest, where as chaos can change the patterns,“ I explained. Creating a square template, as a view finder, holding it over a 5” area, keeping composition in mind, over one of my representational artworks, stopping, I said, “here’s a small abstract, now imagine it 36” x36”. They both immediately got it, continued to look at my abstracts, then I added, as a response to what inspires me, “Everything, I see something, think a thing, have an idea and just have to paint it…I’m usually working on & building up 3-6 pieces at any given time.” That said, in the universe I’m working, there’s no lines separating us, only edges that connect us. I try to keep it free flowing, natural & organic, plus there’s lots of symbolism & mythology used in my abstract works and more obvious ones in the representational artworks.

.Interestingly, with the representational work, once I choose a subject they move along rather quickly and most directly, over several hours or days, to completion. Where as the abstracts, I begin with a basic idea and build off it over days, weeks, & sometimes, over several months, as I evaluate my next move, adding & subtracting visual information. This piece has more scribbles, marks & erasures then most of my other artworks of this nature. They are very difficult to photograph and capture their true depth and scope. More so they are best appreciated in person as the layering of mediums draw us in with an hypnotic quality. The mediums used are acrylic & oil paint, oil pastel, ebony pencil, charcoal , 18k gold paint marker & gold leaf. The 18k gold leaf & infinity symbol, has become my trademark, a signature of sorts, on most of my abstract artworks. Like peeling an onion, so then are the thoughts in ones mind, as are the layers of meaning within this piece. Adding & subtracting, making marks & erasures made, until finally the vision is complete for others to ponder & create their own stories within, which fascinates and is always what I want, the viewers participation and engagement, as my story ended when the piece was completed.

*Note~Having been suddenly struck and engaged by my abstract artwork, which led to an in-depth, but upbeat & fun conversation, about how & why I do what I do, to which they responded by acquiring not 1, but 2 pieces. Both 'Catharsis' & 'Eye of the Fire' 32"x32" framed mixed media, have found a new home & I couldn't be more grateful & thrilled

Your questions are welcome, thanks, Richard

‘Scribbles, Marks & Erasures’ 36” square mixed media by Richard Sperry’

‘Scribbles, Marks & Erasures’ 36” square mixed media by Richard Sperry

Art, Nature & Soul #62

What & How we see is equal to, how we convey it. A visual translation into its own language is how I choose to speak to an audience, hungry for a commonality expressed in paint. In an age of mechanical reproduction, from the most basic of tracing or graphing the image & modified digital recreations, masquerading as original art, makes the search for ‘art’ a more difficult task. Like all academic skills they have their place, but creation is creation, an original, an original, & a copy, a copy.

Even more so, it seems now a days anyone with a digital camera or cell phone, is a photographer. Please push the envelope if you’re going to claim said status, pretty pictures are a dime a dozen, even the misappropriated ones which seem abundant. That said, a photo is a great way to remember a moment you’ve experienced, so when I’m not painting on location I use them as emotional, as well as visual references, for both great times had & potential future paintings, expressed. In this photo capture the serenity of the beach, the quiet sounds of the waves rolling in as the birds, seagull & sand piper alike , spend their time looking for breakfast, along the shoreline.

The photo I’ve taken has seemingly crisp lines separating all entities and our eye has averaged the colors into blocks for easy understanding. Having been here, to this location, a beach, and making mark, a visual memory, I know that the color and light are much more dynamic in person and have set out to paint there depth and interactions.

Here I’ve begun by toning a 24”square canvas in an acrylic prism violet. The violet gives a subtle color continuity to the painting as a whole and when my sgraffito technique is used to scratch into the surface paint, thus giving an even greater depth. This also helps to give direction and the allusion of motion. After brushing in preliminary shapes and blocks of color, I get busy with a variety of palette knives, layering in the water, sand & birds along the shoreline. Artistic license is used here as I’ve made just a suggestion of the Sand Pipers, as to keep our primary focus on the Seagull. With the Seagull in mind, I’ve also modified its location and changed ever so slightly the shape of the wings & legs to give the appearance of lift off, where as the photo it’s running toward that moment.

I’ll spend weeks, days & a great many hours thinking about my approach and what my intended statement is, before ever picking up a brush. Once it’s in my head though, I work very quickly, blocking, layering & building the image, as to make it a non static representation, trying to keep it fluid, moving and changing. That being said, rather than a moment trapped in amber, I’m creating a moving , living landscape of the world we live in and you’re invited to come along as an active participant.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into my thoughts & creative process.

As always, you questions & comments are welcome,

Richard

Shoreline, Seagull & Sand Pipers

24”x24” oil

Art, Nature & Soul #61 Sold/Donation

STAND WITH UKRAINE-Fundraiser-April 2022 SOLD for Donation

Sunflowers symbolise loyalty & adoration. The sunflower (or “soniashnyk”) is Ukraine's national flower and has been grown on its central and eastern steppes since the middle of the 18th century. In a matter of weeks, the sunflower has become a worldwide symbol of support for the Ukraine.

At the bottom in green, is a map of the country of Ukraine. Each of the sunflowers within it, symbolize the Ukranian people in the most populated areas of the Ukraine. The area with the most sunflowers is the capital city of Kyiv, that has taken some of the heaviest shelling, and where an artist friend was in hospital when it all began. He has been fighting for his life since. The single sunflower symbolizes Volodymyr Zelenskyy, its most brave & courageous president, standing his ground and leading his people.

It will be available at Proud Fox Gallery & Frame Shop, Geneva Illinois where during the month of April 2022, a dozen or so of its artists, George Bruce, Kyle Buckland, Michael Cane, David Hettinger, Errol Jacobson, Don & Ellen Ljung, Maureen McKee, Brian Sauerland, Stephanie Weidner, Randy Willis, William Worcester & myself, will be making a stand and offering our artworks as support of the Ukraine. Proceeds from the event, will be donated to UNICEF USA, Children's Fund, that is on the ground in eastern Ukraine ramping up assistance for children & their families.

I have several friends & artist friends from or in the Ukraine. 1, artist friend, that was having difficulty getting in hospital. e.m. care for his severe internal bleed, a non war related issue, as they are understaffed and overrun with causalities. Not, only am I seeing photos of the horrors of war and the carnage, but even more so, images of the brave & iconic, are showing up all over my social media links, of people of all ages & backgrounds in the Ukraine's struggle, patriotism, & devastation, those including their presidents bravery as a leader… a true leader in effort to maintain their freedom, from the grasp of a tyrant.

That so stated, my neighbors of 26, years are Russian. I worked with their daughter, my friend, many years ago. I have several artists friends that are Russian & have 1 of their artworks in my home. I know several Russian gay men, 1 an acquaintance, that escaped the gay hunters in Russia during the Obama presidency, asking & taking asylum here in the U.SA. and several others still living under severe oppression in Russia, with severe and often life threatening penalties. My Russian friends, some here in the states, are worried about their families and are sharing pictures and videos of the Russian peoples attempts to stand up against their current government, this, including Russian military personnel, not wanting to fight against their neighbors, their family and their friends, in favor of peace & freedom for all, so it is also their well being that is also in my thoughts.

My friend Ilya, with the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, reflects what all my Russian friends here in the U.S.A. and abroad are feeling & conveying, please remember this.. He stated, ”…sick of pride, ambition, and vanity, cannot fight us. We must not give in to hating each other! Through love we overcome evil.” We, the people of the world must be united in our support to both the Ukrainian people & encourage the Russian population that's trying to stop its government from continuing down this war path. Remember this, Putin, the Russian government and its blind followers are the threat, not the majority of it's civilian persons.

Further details at

Proud Fox Gallery & Frame Shop

213 W. State St Geneva Il. 60134

www.proudfoxgallery.com

As always, thanks for your support , your questions & comments are welcome,

Richard

'Stand With Ukraine’ 16”x40” oil SOLD/Donation

Color Study #114 'Let the Sunshine’ 12”x12” oil

Art, Nature & Soul #60

I just gotta paint, that’s it! I see something, imagine a thing, get a feeling, and go for it. These color studies are my playtime, free streaming, eyes to brain to hand…no, over thinking, just a blissful outpouring of emotion & paint… color my world and I’ll color yours. I hope they bring you as much joy as they bring me.

As always, these are available for your consideration at www.richardsperrygallery.com & your comments and questions are welcome~

Richard

www.richardsperrygallery.com

Art, Nature & Soul #59

The deep blue sea, the darkness of an undersea world, as illuminated by the flickering light from above. A place where representational meets abstract in the recesses of the mind. As a young boy I loved to swim and especially underwater.

Growing up, I learned to swim at the YMCA, then we had a pool in our backyard. I’d spend hours swimming, doing circles and swimming back and forth across he middle underwater. In boy scout camp, I remember one camping trip in particular spent tenting, canoeing and swimming. Once I had swam out pretty far into the lake and decided to dive deep as I could. I was pretty good at holding my breath, so after one deep breath I dove to the bottom of the lake, some 15-20 feet or so, opened my eyes and magic, that was it. The water was green, the light flickered from above and I could see the plants, slimed with algae and fish swimming by me close. I was amazed, tickled & wanted to stay down there forever. Thinking back It was my, obscure reference #1, Incredible Mr. Limpit moment. A story about a man who loves the sea so much he dreams of being a fish and then is one. Flipper, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea & Jacques Cousteau, obscure reference #2, were all favorite TV shows, I’d watch regularly in awe in deep fascination. I had even thought of being a n Oceanographer in middle school, then swimming with and photographing the ocean seas creatures in my teens and early 20s.

At 57, I’ve finally booked a charter to go snorkeling for the first time. Our road trip included a 4 day stop in Key West, Florida, so I found a charter that left off of Stock Island in Key West. It was a Wild About Dolphins excursions. We choose the 3.5 hour trip. Tara, our guide was fantastic, as the pups came along for the boat ride and she watched after them so we could snorkel. After watching a couple pods of Dolphins, one that had a baby swimming with them, we headed for Casa Rocks, 2-3 ,miles off the island shore. Don, my husband, & I went in together, after testing the water to see if we needed wet suits or not. The water was about 75 degrees so we opted to swim without, although they would have made us more buoyant & offered some protection from the sea critters. Tara gave excellent instructions as she passed us the flippers, mask & snorkel. After getting in the water, I realized I hadn’t swam in over a decide and its a lot of work, so we went back for noodles, a float assist, so we could focus on getting used to the flippers , mask and snorkel…& breath through your mouth, not your nose…ha. I swam over the reef, repeatedly made that mental note and stuck my face in the water.

Wow, so amazing, a great variety of & hundreds and hundreds of sea critters, all living together. There were so many different types and some in large schools, it was hard to keep track of all that I was looking at. That said, the ones that stood out were several Yellow Tangs, a large Parrot Fish, what I think was a Spider Crab & a Moon Jellyfish, that I made sure to keep mt distance from. It was thrilling to watch them all do there thing, in the community around the living coral reef, 3rd largest in the world. As I often do, I just kept thinking symbiotics, symbiotics. Most life either gets it or just lives it instinctively…then I think, humans? Try as we may, a large percent just doesn’t get it. In my way of thinking, all of life needs and relies on these relationships or survival, and the patterns made echo across all life. By definition though, its more directly related to, 2 species mutual dependency for survival, like anemone & a clown fish. Symbiosis is a close ecological relationship between the individuals of two (or more) different species. Sometimes a symbiotic relationship benefits both species, sometimes one species benefits at the other's expense, and in other cases neither species benefits, so ask which are you and be it.

I have watched & read a fair amount of non fiction & documentary on sea life, and in particular, endangered whales. This painting is based on an image from one such educational opp & experience, that I’ve translated into a painting, charged with my thoughts, emotions & favorite color…blue. Plus the thrill eagerly anticipated entrance of the whole undersea world’s life, in it's abundance & glory. Snorkeling was a great thrill that I intend to do again, until then, I paint the world I live in, as I see & experience it.

6 different blues, a green, violet, magenta, 3 yellows, white, on canvas using an arsenal of paint brushes, palette knives & other implements were all used in combinations to create this piece. As always, your comments & questions are welcome~ Richard Sperry

‘Caverns’ 24”x24” oil

Caverns 24"x24" oil

Me snorkeling for the first time, in Key West 2022..

Art, Nature & Soul #58

It was a happy 1st Day of Fall, September 22, 2021~ Just days earlier the Harvest Moon had appeared, September 19, 2021 from ferry leaving Martha's Vineyard. We had boarded the Steamship Authority Ferry leaving Martha’s Vineyard, after a beautiful day of exploring it for the first time. When we were about 2 miles out, as the sun began to set for the day. I had got out on deck to search for some photo opts. I had been thinking, sunset over the ocean, the vineyard, when low and behold, there it was, over my shoulder. It was Sunday the 109th and the Harvest Moon had begun to rise. Luckily I had my camera with me and captured a beautiful scene of the the moon rising near an edge of the Island, one which had homes & a lighthouse atop the bluff. When I got back home, it was the first painting I created on a large canvas. Here’s the thoughts, approach & results…enjoy.

We had got back home, a couple days later and look what happened when I woke up at 3am that morning. With a vivid visual memory of both the image & the experience, coupled with the my emotions & a photo reference, I set out to convey my excitement for the event. With a 30” square, drip & splatter toned canvas, my paint, brushes, palette knives, scratching tools, paper towels and a box of tissues, I began my translation.

Painting the painting and working quickly, my intuitive nature, took hold from the beginning. I tend to paint and build these landscape compositions, in the order it would have appeared in nature as created, sky, water, land, trees buildings…etc. I’ve felt when you build in this order it has a more authentic order that allows for a natural perspective, even in the most static perspectives, and then a sense depth is achieved. Plus, I have felt more than a bit dis-enchanted when I see the sky painted over the leaves of trees, in others work. It always looks forced, an obvious oversight and not thought out to me, hence making me more aware of it. Just a side note and observation.

Before long the painting was completed and the sun rose out my home window. As you can see, the photo reference is in fact only a reference point. I’m not doing an illustration, trying to duplicate or paint the photo, but create a whole new experience, based on my own. In other words bringing my own light and sunshine to everything I do, and hoping to bring some to you and your life too .

Your comments & questions are always welcome~ Richard

'Harvest Moon off Martha's Vineyard' 30"x30" oil

‘Harvest Moon off Martha's Vineyard' 30"x30" oil

Photo taken from the ferry leaving Marth’s Vineyard, Sunday September 19, 2021

Art, Nature & Soul #57

Sometimes what we say, is being said so loud no one can hear us, much less listen. Over the past 5-10 years, here in the good ole U.S.A. it seems to be the case. Our government, a democratic-republic and it’s system of checks and balances’ is the best in the world, but it works much better when the pendulum doesn’t swing quite so wide. Respect, diplomacy, & critical thinking seems to be at an all time low, second only to that during the civil war.

Humans are a fearful lot. Especially when it comes to persons of different ethnicities, cultures & belief systems. What we do not understand, we try to destroy. Historically, the fight for survival, is a brutal one. Humans are a nomadic lot, seeking abundance...an abundance of food, shelter & freedom to be, to have choices, to live in the ways we think best for our selves, our group. Often times, either intentionally or inadvertently taking away those same choices from others in the process, in a power struggle, forgetting that all of humanity is our group. With this in mind, I celebrate the mix, the American melting pot, the search for, the choices & freedoms we have as individuals, as conceived by those who fled one land, for another , plus the founding mothers & fathers intentions. I embrace the differences, the choices, the freedoms & advocate the sharing of the abundance, the harvest. Sit down with those persons you do not understand, ask questions, hear truths, seek facts, understand history & context, be respectful, break bread and share the abundance, the wealth, the harvest and by all means be grateful for all these opportunities, given & received, moving forward.

The Pilgrims Monument, was erected in Provincetown MA. a reminder of our early roots, our history, the intention, the reality, its cost. Today it stands as a beacon and safe haven for people of belief systems of diversity, acceptance & respect, from here & around the world.

On November 23, 1977, my brother Rodney, age 4, passed on from this world, the 24th, Thanksgiving was the day after, we buried him days later, I was just 13. He had CP and other health complications. These four years were perhaps the most influential & defining of my life. I learned in a very short time what it truly meant to be human, to be alive and the purpose. As it turned out, the lesson was a very simple one, to choose love.

So many people come and go, pass by, throughout our lifetime. Sometimes by death, but often times the various stages of a life and transitory nature of people, are the other necessary factors. From the time we are born, we are growing, mind, body & soul, striving to survive, searching for the more permanent connections of our lives, in the pursuit of happiness. We seek out the people , persons and things that validate who we are or want to be. Often times, by circumstance, not choice we loose touch with family, friends & acquaintances…those influential teachers of our lives, whom we’ve had those intimate times & lessons, on what it means to be human, to be alive. All these people stay in my head, my memories, in a time capsule of sorts. The memories flash, I remember, I wonder, I hope they are well, as they appear in my head, as they did the last times I saw them, but knowing full well their lives have also changed or ended.

I’m a bit of a romantic, sentimental guy, my memories are intense, while I know things, people, myself, aren’t perfect …my memories are flooded with the perfection of the imperfect moments of our time held in amber, all these relationships and their lessons. People have become even more nomadic, often times scattered to the four corners, even more so in the past quarter century or more. However, with the internet and all the social media networks, I’ve been able to stay connected or reconnect with many, many people from my past, plus meet new people from various backgrounds all over the world. I guess what I’m trying to say is, whether or not, we are actively in each others lives these days or we communicate more regularly, know you’re all in my thoughts & fond memories. Know that you are thought of kindly & loved, with hopes that you’re living your best life as you see fit. I am so grateful to have or to have had, all of you in my life! Remember, sometimes what looks like a sunset is really a sunrise.

~Be Thankful, Celebrate Life & it's Diversity, Peace & Love Richard

Beacon 30”x30” oil

Art, Nature & Soul #56

These days I spend most of my time painting, but there was a time when I used to spend my days drawing every chance I got. Painting and drawing are very different disciplines for me, one being about edge the other about line, although I sometimes merge both into a single concept in paint, scribbling & sgraffito.

Growing up, my fascination was people, trying to capture, not only their physical attributes, but their personalities, I loved to draw them & find those unique features that made them… them. Especially faces and noses, it seemed that noses were really those defining features for me. I guess you’d say I have a bit of a nose fetish…haha, but for reals. Whether they were drawn in charcoal, lead or ink, most of the time I’d challenge myself to either not erase or not lift up my drawing implement from the paper. It was a bit of a self-challenge to force myself to see form & shapes correctly. Though, I still tend toward exaggerations of a sort, from the slightest, to more caricature and cartoon.

There are hundreds and hundreds of sketches and drawings throughout my home & studio, books full of figures and ideas. I recently picked up a new drawing pad in an ongoing effort to force myself to make time to draw. I used to do lots of cross hatch & cross contour in ink. For years I’d do a 5-10 minute quick sketch, mostly more single line drawn cartoon and gestures. It’s so infrequent , less than 5% of my time, that I paint or draw figures anymore that I’ve got in the habit of drawing them out on the canvas first before painting them, just to be sure I have the proportions down the way I want them. That said, in the past year or two I set to do a self portrait in oil and was half way complete before I saw I had forgot to do my preliminary under drawing first. With the direction of my current work over the past decade or so has led me to do more scribbling, sgraffito & scratching. Here’s a recent scribbled figure I did earlier this year. I think I’ll have to do much more scribbling. I love the organic, free flowing & natural feel of it.

As always, your questions & comments are welcome~

Richard

Broke out my ebony pencil and did some scribbling.
‘Angelo’ 12”x12” pencil

Art, Nature & Soul #55

How we see is as important as what we see, when conveying our minds visual capture. Beyond the visual perception, I tend to tap into all my senses, all 7, Sight (Vision), Hearing (Auditory), Smell (Olfactory), Taste (Gustatory), Touch (Tactile), Vestibular (Movement), Proprioception (Body Position) and perhaps another the intuitive nature and third eye.

Sitting on the deck of the Aqua Bar in Provincetown, Ptown Massachusetts and looking out over the sea and sky, the moon rose and glistened off the water. I was taken by the subtle light and movement of the night. I broke out my camera to get a photo capture of what I was seeing, the sparkle of moonlight twinkling across the ocean. How could the light reflecting off the moon be bright enough to be cast upon the water, I questioned in my mind, but it was and did. It was about 75 degrees with a light breeze that moved the water and air around this night, the photo hardly captured it, which fascinated me. A distant pier, the McMillian Warf and several boats, had a few lights shining off them too, but it was 1/2 hour after sunset and the light seemed to fade to black when I began to search for the light.

There’s a multitude of color theories, but the one I’ve found most helpful is to find the light, seek the color and look for how they interact and reflect off each other, let the dance, play & mingle be what they are and see it. A wise artist, Hilda Neily, that I had pleasure of painting & studying with, once said to me, “it’s like dropping acid” once you get it, you see it and it can’t be undone. I’ve found that to be true, Even though, and perhaps more so here in the mid-west with more traditional color schemes. Most, I dare say see the sky as blue, the grass as green and dirt as brown. Now when I look for the color I first see the light. In my paintings I often juxtapose both my regular & new ways of seeing them in a single painting., such is the case here, not in blocks but layered & moving planes of color & texture. Edges more than line, it seems it’s all connected, not separated by line, the world around us, the things in it, all intersect, relate to and are more symbiotic than not, in the broadest sense as well as the minut.

One morning, while in Ptown it was raining. I broke out my easel, paint, some small panels and utensils for painting. I found a wonderful view from the second floor out the window, another outside on the deck, and yet another from the the photo and sensory memory of the moon, sky & water, while sitting on the deck experiencing it. Here’s the result, as I’m 57 years old, it took fifty-seven years of studying, growing, time ,money & passion to complete this one, now that’s an investment.

Your questions & comments are welcome, always,

Richard

Color Study #100, Moonbeams 12’x12’ oil on panel

Art, Nature & Soul #54

*The plight of the whales of the world are a cause near and dear to my heart. The many species along the eastern seaboard and particularly the North Atlantic Right Whale have a special place for me, as I've been following them from some of their feeding grounds, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts to their calving grounds around the St, Augustine, Florida, for nearly a decade now. If you've followed me for a while you know my meaning. After 2 recent documentary watches 'Entangled' and 'The Loneliest Whale', both excellent, I've decided to donate the total proceeds from the sale of this painting to Center of Coastal Studies Provincetown, as I've seen them in action numerous times and have even participated in an entangled whale rescue. Message me for further info on how to purchase this painting and help to 'Save the Whale', from extinction.

There are only about 400 or so North Atlantic Right Whales surviving along eastern seaboard of North America, their primary resident. Beyond the obvious of the previous 3 centuries Whaling Industry, we have known for quite some time the multiple factors infringing on their ability to thrive. It appears that the primary ones are, entanglement, ship strikes, & sonar disrupting their communications. The Fisheries have, for the most part been trying to cooperate as have the shipping lanes been modified to avoid them when we know when and where they are. Climate change has posed yet another challenge as the areas that we have been trying to protect are not always the places they are going now. With climate change has brought more random chaos and a change in where the abundance of food may or may not be. It seems there is a partial and highly effective solution. The majority of the whale deaths are due to entanglement. A team has created an experimental rope less traps, that if supplied to the fisheries could in fact help the fisheries as well as save the whale. Funding is needed to continue the development and distribute the new traps to the fisheries, free of charge contingent on the agreement of eliminating all roped cages.

For this piece I utilized a photo from one of the documentaries as my reference for the direct approach of painting and its expression. A relatively simple painting and yet beyond the image of the whale, the richness of the colors was extremely important to me in creating the depth of field. The colors used were bleached & unbleached Titanium white, 6 different blues, mineral violet, magenta, Indian yellow, raw sienna & yellow ochre. As I really enjoy varied textures, my primary tools are brushes, palette knives, sculpting tools & tissues. This assisted in creating the illusion of the whale being suspended in the water, paint before the scale of the diver.

Your questions & comments, as always are welcome.,

Richard

’Save the Whale’ 36”x18” oil

Art, Nature & Soul #53

Here’s 18 more mini-me’s that I painted this past spring 2021. It’s been an usually lush spring this year, so green is the word….lots and lots of green. Nature gives me great solace even in the most trying of times. Where I live, there are at least 5 parks/forest preserves & the river within an easy walk from my home, besides the pond directly behind it. I walk one of them daily, most of the others get a weekly or monthly visit, besides all the ones we drive to throughout the year, within an 4-8 mile radius and across the country, on our road trips. It’s a great place, If you like hiking, biking & boating and we do, besides the 5 town arts events and cultural arts, music, theater scene, is happening here along the river year round, from Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles & Elgin Illinois, and with Chicago & Lake Michigan just down the road 34 miles. All these areas provide lots of opportunity to paint., balancing my art, nature & soul work and ambitions.

Each panel has a matter-of-factness conveyed of both the subject matter and my approach. There’s no over thinking it or agonizing over it on these artworks. My alla-prima approach on these are meant to be my most intimate and direct revelations of how I see. I use only the highest quality materials for their longevity & colorfastness. I love color and texture which is instantly conveyed upon first viewing. Also, on most pieces you may think you can feel a slight breeze or see the sky and ocean moving, while that breeze rustles over the prairie or sea grasses, as conveying movement is also important to me.

Being here in the midwest around the Great Lakes provides endless subjects for both my representational and more abstract artworks, as life under a microscope, thru a telescope or my minds eye is discovered & revealed. Traveling, seeking out new environments and experiences enhance what I see and how I think, these are the things I hope to convey in my paintings…that all things are possible if we move in the direction of your hearts desires & dreams.

As always, your thoughts & questions are welcome, Richard

Contact me for further details regarding purchasing & shipping these pieces.

Art, Nature & Soul #52

Some of the simplest subjects, make for some of the more compelling paintings. When we set off for home, leaving Ptown, we have got into the tradition of stopping off at Nauset Beach along the Cape Cod coastline.

On this occasion we had picked up breakfast, then stopped at the beach to eat as we were heading off the cape. It’s usually pretty early when we leave 630-7a.m. so the beach is usually pretty vacant, though we have run into the same elderly woman, seemingly doing her morning meditation there, twice now. I have painted her twice now, as well. First time she was sitting oceanside on a massive slab of rock, another she, walking stick in hand, traversing the path, to the top of the sandy cliffs that over look the beach. However this morning, at the beach, was covered in dense fog. Two people were shore fishing and one little bird nestled in the dew covered branches of a pine tree were all the life that could be seen.

The lighthouse swung around beamed across the sky and the fog horn echoed as it blasted through the wet air. We walked along the beach listening to the surf gentle splash upon the sand. It’s an amazing thing, the colors that reveal themselves upon a seemingly grey morning. Wherever the light hit made the colors vivid, a branch, a bird, the sand, sea and air. A lone, unattended Lifeguard Chair revealed itself upon the beach, against the ocean and sky, barely distinguishable one from the other. It seemed the perfect subject in which to find the light and paint the colors it revealed.

After some studying of the surroundings the colors were discovered and painted. Whether I paint on location or back at the studio, I almost always take photo of my subject, sometimes for reference, other times for a record. My color studies are typically done on small hardboard panels. A variety of brushes, palette knives, sculpting tools and tissues were used to convey the more subtle design elements of the scene and a foggy grey morning is transformed.

As always your comment & questions are welcome, Richard

Color Study #24, Off Duty 10”x10” oil on panel

Art, Nature & Soul #51

The idea comes first. Once the basic concept is in my I head though, I’m ready to paint. We painters have our favorites too. The creative process in these works, are a slow burn romance, assessing and re assessing as I add details, build & go on. Here's one of mine from last year, that was a couple months in the making of scribbles, marks & erasures. If you’re painting a person, place or thing, generally you know what they look like, so then you come up with a composition, then execute it to the best of your abilities. With my more abstract artworks, often times, at least with mine, you’re creating the image from scratch, from your imagination, a personified reality. For me, all the same design elements apply to abstract artwork as they do to representational. Most of you know I’ve been working toward merging both types into a singular expression of envisioned thought, Such is the case with “Love’s Lines, Circles, Angles & Rhymes” .

Here I took the idea from a photo of 2 people embracing in a space, created a composition and broke them down into their essential qualities, and elaborated on them. The Elements of Design are the things that as an artist I work with to create a design, or composition. The Elements are: line, shape, space, value, color and texture. The elements, or principles, of visual design include Contrast, Balance, Emphasis, Movement, White Space, Proportion, Hierarchy, Repetition, Rhythm, Pattern, Unity, and Variety. Again, with the information in front of you visually, representational work is potentially a much easier task. That said, in both disciplines, one of my concerns is that it not look static or contrived. I strive to create a seemingly spontaneous, instinctive, or intuitive yet intended , if you will, visual imagery. Intuitive painting is an opportunity to explore the inner self through the creative process in a safe, critic free environment. ... This approach to painting is focused on mindfulness, creative permission and the act of spontaneous expression., as in automatic.

In this case, after a 5 color splash painting in acrylic, including several interference colors, I sketched out the basic lines within the space & went to work with my oil paints. First blocking in various shapes in color. Once these features are in place the painting leads me as I analyze the various design elements as they begin to emerge. Each layer becomes a stream of conscious methodology of adding and subtracting from the whole and in part the mediums are the message. Adding oil paint to block in shapes, scratching through the layers and erasing as directed by the piece. After a second round with the oil paint, I begin adding line & scribbling with ebony, pencil, grease marker, & oil pastel…each giving their own aesthetic detail and sense of depth. Then enhancing the emerging mythology with 18k gold pen near completion as I add the 18k gold leaf, signing the completed piece.

These artworks evolve over time, with each medium and each layer, I leave and visit the painting, over and over again, evaluating the whole, over months until my vision is complete. I hope you’ve enjoy the journey, making part of it your own too. As always your comments & questions are most welcome.

~Richard

’Love's, Lines, Circles, Angles & Rhymes’ 40”x40” mixed media on canvas

’Love's, Lines, Circles, Angles & Rhymes 40”x40” mixed media on canvas.

Art, Nature & Soul #50

“Technique is the culmination of my vision, expressed.”
-Richard Sperry

Over a quarter century ago, probably more likely 28 years ago, I painted a portrait of a father holding his daughter. I don’t often have the opportunity to do portraits these days as I mostly paint abstracts, landscape and figurative artworks. Recently I had the opportunity to paint the the little girl from the first paintings daughter and her father, and hope to be here to do the next generation, as well.

As a young boy I was very shy and reserved, almost fearful of the world and its people. I believe in an effort to engage me in family events, I was made the camera guy. That’s right they gave me a camera in which to view the world and capture the moments of which, often times I was an insider on the outside, and thus an outsider.

I loved composing and yet capturing a candid moment, with the small kodak automatic, often times and mostly of family and friends, documenting a history, mine. Later I was given a polaroid and than in my early 20’s, I purchased a 35mm camera. Often times I’d draw pictures of what I had taken a photo of. Thinking the literal already existed in the photo, so the renderings were often exaggerations and if they were of people caricatured likeness’s even if in the slightest of ways. The layering and emotional aspects came later. Although even in high school I did commissioned portraits, mostly in soft pastel though. As a young adult, in my early to mid 20s, I had started painting and trying my hand at oil portraits, so I’d use my photos as references , as that’s what I had to work with at the time, and that’s how the first father & daughter portrait happened. One holiday get together, I took lots of photos, but on this occasion I used a half dozen of them as my models. The Naomi & Michael photo, was a tender moment captured on film that I took to the next level, translating it into an oil painting.

Typically, especially back then, I’d do a preliminary sketch, in vine charcoal, although now I mostly use ebony pencil. This to assure both proportion and a good composition on the canvas. The initial painting was created with a larger 1” brush and broad strokes, quickly rendering and shaping the image, outlining in key areas. As the figures were the most important part of this painting I kept the background in shadow with only the slightest of light and color illuminating it and the figures from one lamp. A quarter century or so later, I posted it on Facebook to illustrate a thought. The little girl, all grown up now, with a family of her own, who never knew the painting existed, as it was my earlier figure work, saw it and loved it. I had always intended on giving it to her at some point, as her father had passed on a decade earlier…but now was the time. So after some time, I shipped it to her, her now being out of state. Having received it and loving it, she contacted me and commissioned me to do a portrait of her husband and daughter. And so I did, capturing yet another tender moment in paint, telling her, let’s plan for next generation too, in a playful sentiment.

From crayolas & cameras, to oil paint, my style and techniques have evolved over a lifetime, as I’ve grown into my vision, yet the basic emotional content and message have remained the same. We are connected, we are loved, and we are here in this moment.

Commissions are welcome, as are any questions or comments,

Richard

Mark and Dorthea circa 2021

Michael & Naomi circa 1993ish

Art, Nature & Soul #49

Over the past decade or so, I’ve taken to painting these color studies as a vehicle of experimentation. These painterly sketches are the bridge between my larger, more elaborate representational and abstract artworks , the place where my all my tools, techniques and color schemes first become realized.

Lovingly referred to as Mini-Me’s they are painted Alla Prima, direct and in one sitting, either, En Plein Air (outdoors), from a photo or my imagination…often times all three come into play. The key for me is to not over think it and to paint it matter-of-factly….eyes to brain to hand using an arenol of tools and techniques developed over a lifetime…These of which I keep building upon & adding to, as an artist is always learning.

Whether a flicker of light, the color that only some see on a gray day or a random pattern repeated in nature, I am inspired and compelled to translate and express my experience & vision. Most of these are painted on gesso board and in recent years I’ve taken to using a 12” square format as I had a custom carrier to dry and store them in designed for me, it also fits perfectly in car for traveling. Typically I begin laying in color with brushes. I always paint in the order it would have appeared by design in reality. In other words, in a landscape, the sky is placed in first, land, trees, buildings, animals & persons, if desired. Any other way looks like an after thought to me, especially if the sky has been painted over the tree branches. All design elements are engrained on my brain before I begin to execute the piece. Of course allowing for bits of chaos and play, cause that’s where the magic happens.

I generally begin laying in color with brushes, then close the edges with palette knives, adding more paint & color as I give pattern and direction to the composition, and heighten contrast, plus the intensity of the color, whether they are muted or vivid ones. I’ll use tissues to soften and moved the paint around the panel making it more cohesive and balanced. Then using a sculptural tool to scratch into the image to cut into the layers of color and enhance varied line and patterns, the details flourish. Finally using a vary small brush to add in finishing details…the suggestion of a critter or person, the piece is complete & finalized with my signature.

Here are a selection of my most recent color studies. A great way to begin a collection or add small pieces to an existing one. These are for available for your consideration. I would like to express my deepest gratitude, to all my generous supporters, patrons & collectors, as you make this possible.

As always, feel free to message me with your comments & questions

Richard Sperry

Art, Nature & Soul #48

Fractals, Chaos, Mandelbrot Set, Mandela's, Signs, Symbols, Stories & Dualities, beauty reflecting beauty. Abstract art are those aesthetics under a microscope or a telescope, either so close or so distant that what was once representational has new representation and meaning.

“Art is a language, an instrument of knowledge, an instrument of communication.”

— Jean Dubuffet

I create abstract & representational artworks, plus a fusion of sorts. Each fuel the other as an expression of ideas, thoughts, beliefs and a statement about how I see life, how I experience it, how I share it. I’m often in the unique situ where I’m given a broad range of reactions & critics of my work without the viewer knowing I am it’s creator, in the beginning. Whether its a positive or negative reaction, it’s generally most helpful in growing as an artist and a human. That said, when a connection is made, that’s the best, as I feel I’ve communicated something something shared, with that person.

Here’s one example and an especially important one to me. As the patron does not usually purchase abstract art, but sometimes, often times, I hope art mirrors life.

One of my collectors contacted me. She said that she was sitting in her sunroom, enjoying the day, that her Amaryllis had just opened up and with the sun filtering thru the windows, in a certain way, that my painting had a wonderful glow about it. Then she sent me this image. With that, she certainly brightened my day, as well. It's with the deepest gratitude that I thank all my collectors and all the people that support me & my artwork, whether it be 'likes', comments or artworks acquired. Thank you one & all, may we all have an exceptional year.

Thank You patrons, collectors & patrons, as always your comments are welcome~

Richard

‘Primary Colors’ 31.5”x31.5” framed oil

‘PRIMARY COLORS 30”x30’ oil on canvas

Paint this close up, of an area of the above photo and you have a new abstract painting.

Art, Nature & Soul #47

About 15 years ago, My artwork was exhibited in a Chicago gallery, I was told by the gallery owner, “Some people won’t buy your artwork, if they know you’re gay.” I was doing, in part, more design orientated abstracts at the time, so I simple did a series where I put one stenciled letter in each piece, when laid out in order & together it said, “A Queer Boys Story”. I decided then, enough was enough, no more in & out or hiding!

This piece is a throwback to some of my earliest paintings, some 35 years ago. My teens were fraught with deep confusion, angst & turmoil as I struggled to come to terms with who I was. The mid 1980s in my early 20s I had finally begun to understand who I was, where I fit in & to embrace my sexuality. As I turned 20 I simple proclaimed, “I Am” & continued to play the androgynous, bi guy, for a time, before committing to the male/male scene. Much of the artwork I created then, revolved around exploring these themes & things, in a world that had barely begun to understand, muchless accept a more varied concept of human sexuality. I identify as QUEER & my pronoun is ‘Thone’.

Now as then, these themed artworks were meant to be in your face, in your mind & make you think... A way to say, I am here, so get used to it, over it. In 1962, Illinois, the state I live and grew up in, became the first state to take the archaic sodomy laws off the books. I was born in 64’. By 1982, the year I graduated from high school, HIV/Aids was at the forefront of happenings and we had a president who was doing everything possible to ignore and play it down. It was, “only effecting the homos” anyway, or so they thought. In 2020, we had a president who blindly, knowingly sacrificed hundreds of thousands of Americans to another world wide pandemic, COVID, for his own narrow minded cause….power, money & greed, while at the same time, undermining & rolling back 100s of educated/enlightened/progressive policies, including those designed to acknowledge & integrate the LGBTQ communities in the U.S.A. When your country, your world is at war with you, you fight back, art was/is my vehicle and the message is, I AM!

History is more circuitous than linear, LGBTQ people exist in every culture from the beginning of time, throughout the ebb and flow of acceptability. It’s only when person’s of the ‘ME” instead of the ‘WE’ persuasion, impose their will over human nature that persons of minority become outcast rather than embraced. When you put aside your fears & insecurities, one seeks knowledge, you receive understanding, enlightenment and begin to realize everyone/thing has a purpose and value in the world. With the devastating & brutal attacks on the LGBTQ communities across the planet swinging back around to the U.S.A., I felt compelled to assert my presence as a person who will fight the good fight for whoever is under attack by the masses. Freedom, Equal Rights & Anti Discrimination, for all & to secure for all individuals freedom from discrimination against any individual because of his or her race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, order of protection status, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or unfavorable discharge from military service.

As mentioned above, while the theme here is one I explored in my artwork some 35 ish years ago. the execution is different in many ways. This piece was painted over a 4 month period of layering and enhancing. I utilize a variety of brushes, palette knives, pencils, paint markers, scratching tools and even tissues to achieve the desired aesthetic. Here we have lots of scribbles, marks & erasures, plus abstract & realistic elements, I began with a 4 color acrylic drip & splatter painting, then began to paint me in, a layer of ebony pencil written graffiti & symbols, oil painted some blocks of color & form, oil pastel enhanced, charcoal stick, 18K gold paint giving more line and symbol, my signature 18k gold leaf addition & then stenciled the unmistakable word QUEER. Next it was time to entitle the piece, ‘Queer AF Selfie’, ‘57 Special’, were on the table, but my original thought stuck, “Portrait of the Artist in His 50s”, 40”square mixed media on canvas was finalized with my signature.

As always feel free to ask question or comment,

Richard R. Sperry

‘Portrait of the Artist in His 50s’ 40”x40” mixed media on canvas $57,000.00 available

DETAIL~