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In recent years, I have been developing an art
technique from scratch that would be both unique and appealing.
I decided to base my work in synthesizing the "all-over" effect
of some Abstract Expressionists with the simplicity found in
Minimalism. I moved away from a realistic-based art to one of
non-objective, concentrating on color combinations and color
contrasts that are based upon several art theorists’ works.
Along with that synthesis, I wanted to create works with a sense
of time and process that would appeal even to persons unfamiliar
with or untrained in fine art; pieces that require close
attention and took time to view – an artwork that needs an
almost meditative process to be appreciated.
There were many more failures than successes at
the very beginning. The first break-through came when I
switched mediums from oil to acrylic and started “breaking
rules” for myself and the medium I was working in. Secondly, I
started producing large number of layers (18 to 42 layers) for
each piece, mixing various acrylic mediums and other material to
obtain opacity that creates an illusion of depth. In a third
move, I began scraping, sanding, scratching, and manipulating
the colors as they were unearthed from below. Lately I have
been utilizing other tools to create a sense of age and
weathering in the pieces. They are definitely the end result of
what I had imagined beforehand; pieces of art requiring close
scrutiny and displaying a sense of time and process.
After working in this direction, the results are extremely
satisfying. Multiple Best of Show and other exhibition awards,
grants for artist residencies abroad, presentations at
seminars/universities on my methods and techniques, inclusion in
several permanent collections with museums, and technical awards
from institutions. It is only forward from here, and my art
will be moving in new directions by introducing additional
elements in the future that I am currently studying. I firmly
believe in the uniqueness and the individuality of each piece of
art before you.
Zal Richards was born 1950 in the countryside just southwest of
Chicago, Illinois. To this day he retains the childhood
memories of the ever-changing and wide-open fields so prevalent
in the Mid-West region of the United States. He started his
study of art at Lincoln-Way High School and, after graduation,
he was inducted into the US Army. After his tour of duty in
Germany, he entered secondary studies at St. Petersburg, Florida
and later the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am
Main, Germany. He returned to the USA in 1977 in order to be at
Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. He was an
instructor at FSU until 1980 when he moved to Atlanta, Georgia.
In Atlanta he pursued a business career,
eventually working his way up the managerial ranks at The Home
Depot. Even while working in the business world, he maintained
his desire to create art and participated in exhibitions.
Dissatisfied with realistic art, he eventually began personal
studies of mixing chemicals and color bases to produce unique
color combinations. It took almost three years of constant and
steady experimentation until he was successful in producing the
one-of-a-kind artwork you see in front of you right now. Zal
Richards left The Home Depot in 2002 and pursued his dream of
becoming a full-time artist.
At the current time, he lives in the Marietta,
Georgia USA area. Since the end of 2001, Richards has
participated in many group and solo shows in the United States
and Europe. After his work appeared in several museums in
Germany, he was invited to join the avant-garde "0815" European
art group. His artwork can be found in private, public,
governmental, and museum collections.
You can contact Zal Richards by E-mailing him at
Zal.Richards.Art@WEB.DE for more information.
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