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April Issue 2007
Fountainside Gallery in Wilmington, NC, Offers Works by Shaun Richards
Fountainside
Gallery in Wilmington, NC, will present, Shaun Richards Showcase,
featuring the newest works of Raleigh, NC, artist Shaun Richards
from Apr. 27 through May 11, 2007.
Richards, who was recently granted a Regional Emerging Artist-in-Residence studio at Artspace in Raleigh, has been hard at work on his large scale paintings exploring the southeastern United States. While at Artspace he plans to also produce drawings and sculpture. Collectors who are used to seeing Richard's mysterious sepia monotone paintings will be surprised at the new group of colorful pieces.
FNB Bank's new headquarters in Wilmington house
10 of Richards' earlier color works in their lobby. The paintings
were commissioned by the bank specifically for their space and
reflect a variety of local subjects.
Richards was born in Brunswick, GA, but his family moved to Franklin,
VA, the following year. Following high school he entered Hagerstown
Junior College in Maryland to play baseball. Soon though, he felt
the draw of Wilmington, a place he had visited as a teenager and
enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Richards
earned his degree in Fine Art in three years. He stayed on the
coast another 4 years, honing his skills and working as an assistant
to a muralist and decorative artist. After studying at Empire
State College in New York and becoming exposed to the art influences
there, he received an internship with Robert Rahway Zakanitch,
famous for his post-modernist work. Richards returned to Raleigh
upon completion of the internship and maintains his studio in
Artspace.
The rural south continues to be the basis for Richards' work as exemplified in the new collection. The history of the south with all its contradictions and socio-economic divides inspired the artist's oils, producing arresting, hauntingly beautiful images. His sepia-toned paintings use shrouded figures, cotton fields and the silhouettes of barely visible farm houses to beckon the viewer into his dream world. Richards describes his work as "questioning the accepted notions of beauty, artifice, materialism, nostalgia, and the subtle contradictions that make living in this region a unique experience when contrasted with today's global community". The new series promises to be fresh and perhaps surprising output from this young master.
For further information check our NC Commercial
Gallery listings, call the gallery at 910/256-9956 or visit (www.fountainsidegallery.com).
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