Alvin Richard
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Alvin Richard was born in 1962. He is a self-taught realist painter living in Moncton, NB, Canada. His apprenticeship in exploring the medium of acrylics began in 1987. During the process of finding his own voice, he was initially influenced by the realism movement that emerged from the faculty of Fine Arts at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB. His knowledge of art history is a perpetual journey of self-study and visiting hundreds of art galleries and museums in Canada, the United States and Western Europe. Several art movements including Realism, Impressionism, Photorealism, Hyperrealism, Pop Art in addition to mass media and popular culture has greatly influenced his artwork. Alvin was elected to the Federation Of Canadian Artists in 2004 as an active member. He was a finalist in the 2015 International Artist Grand Prize Competition of Art Revolution Taipei held in Taiwan. His artwork has appeared in several publications including American Art Collector, International Artist, Acrylic Artist, Post Modern Times, Poets & Artists, Artelibre Annual Publication, Art Avenue & East Coast Living. He has been represented by professional art galleries since 2003. His artwork has been in shown in more than 90 solo and group exhibitions throughout Canada, the United States and Taiwan.
I have always known what would interest me visually as an artist, and this was to paint the familiar stuff. Every painting is an attempt to document a glimpse of observation of the world around me. Imagery often presents itself during occurrences of daily life. Light, colour, perspective and composition are vital elements that become an integral part of the work. I do tend to spend a lot of time researching and considering material before it is ready to appear in a still life painting. Aesthetics also becomes a preoccupation. It is important that I connect with the subject matter on a deeper level if I am going to spend days, weeks or sometimes months on a single painting. In recent years, I've been exploring imagery in a more narrative manner, both as a form of survey or journalist approach while documenting aspects of popular and mass culture. I'll often pay homage to artists, authors and luminaries. Nostalgia often comes into play with the elements within the composition, but it is important that the imagery itself remains current. |