 In
2002 English landscape artist Richard Clare and his family
came to Barga just for a holiday, but the magical beauty of
Barga seduced them into buying a property there!
Richard and his family now try to get over from wet and cold
Saddleworth in Northern England as often as possible (at least
a month in the summer to guarantee them some sunshine). With
his box of paints, Richard can often be seen wandering around
Barga’s alleyways sketching and painting plein-air.
He is currently working on several large canvasses for an
exhibition with two other English artists and three Italian
artists as a cultural art exchange with Liguria and North
Yorkshire. The touring exhibition will be shown in July, August
and September this year in La Spezia, Sestri Levante and Carro.
 In
England, Richard is known for his colourful and dynamic paintings
of the northern landscape. From his studio in Delph, on the
edge of the English pennines, paintings are created from memory
or sketches (never photographs), using colours not normally
associated with the British landscape. Many people believe
they depict the soul of the landscape better than real life.
For Richard the final picture is only one part of the painting
process, since he spends a lot of time walking and sketching
the landscape, soaking up the atmosphere. Back in the studio,
inspired by these sketches and his emotions he paints very
quickly to get them down on canvas. Hence his preference for
using acrylics and oils applied predominantly with painting
knives to create soft watercolour effects and heavy impasto
marks.
 In
a very short space of time Richard is quickly gaining a reputation
for high quality, exciting and dynamic landscapes. He has
received media attention in national magazines and in 2001
he was a prize winner in The Laing National Landscape Painting
Competition. His paintings are included in many private collections
throughout Britain and more recently in France, Italy, Spain
and China.
For further information (including commissions) email: richardclareart@aol.com.
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