Richard is probably most recognized for his still life paintings. He started painting still lifes as a method to learn how to paint. Once he mastered the craft of merely copying what he was seeing he began to experiment and portray these sometimes stale subjects in a more artistic way.

“I became somewhat bored with painting still life and as a way to keep myself challenged artistically, I really tried to push the boundaries making them more and more spontaneous. This process really got me engaged and helped me to find my overall style. Now I love to paint still lifes that in their design feel spontaneous. I love to experiment continually with color, texture and brush stroke”

Richard enjoys incorporating many still life subjects like fruit and flowers which he loves for their colors, shapes, and textures. He looks for unusual items and arrangements and has found them in many places, such as the large floral paintings that were inspired by the large bouquets that he photographed in Holland during the peak of the tulip crop.

“I want the viewer to really believe that the apple is an apple or the flower is a flower all the while knowing they are looking at a painting (not a photo). I want my work to look like it has been done by hand…a painting”

Richard’s still life paintings have been included in two books on still life painting. The first is Paint! Still-life by Betsy Hosegood and the second is Still-life Painting in Oil by Theodora Philcox.