Artist Biography:

Richard Thomson was born in Libertyville, Illinois in 1954. Without the benefit of a formal education, he has established himself as one of the Midwest’s most prolific assemblage sculptors. Self-taught in all mediums, including oil paint on canvas, stone, brick, wood, and metals, Richard attributes his artistic inclinations and influences to the “no bs people in my life”, the artists and tradesmen, the crafters and designers. “Through the years, you have provided me with all the tools, materials, and the visual appreciation I needed to find my voice.”

Richard describes his childhood as providing an “amber colored view of all the world things most young men learn in the hushed whispers in the boy’s room.” His grandfather, a Scottish stonemason and oil painter, allowed him to sit and watch him paint. His father, a bricklayer and later a fireman, was “fearless in all mediums”, and gave Richard exposure to “the truly incredible things that could be done with stone, metal, wood and Rustoleum.” Richard’s uncle, a bar keep, influenced his religious orientation as Richard spent his Sunday mornings cleaning and setting up for the church crowd. “The church was a very strong influence in the community, but the men in my family opted to "Earn their daily bread, rather than pray for it.”

Richard traveled around the world as a prominent hair designer and artistic trainer for over 25 years and was an instructor at the Columbia College of Book and Paper Arts in Chicago, Illinois. He has been a full time artist since 2000. Richard currently resides in the Cleveland area.

Richard’s jewelry, shrines, altars and tabernacles display his preoccupation with religious architecture, color and the human figure. His use of reclaimed items combined with figurative oil paintings provides the viewer with visually stimulating and thought provoking images. They are recognizable contemporary relations of Edvard Munch and Antoni Gaudi. Reacting to religious beliefs and myths and its influences on modern day sexuality, to the joining of objects together, to the paint that unifies and disguises the original bits and pieces, Richard’s artistic redemption brings a new approach to the assemblage arts.