Corresponding About Inspiration with Acrylic Artist Alvin Richard

In the summer issue of Acrylic Artist we feature artist Alvin Richard who shares his most unique method of art instruction—correspondence. After seeing a painting by Lloyd Fitzgerald, Richard was so inspired he wrote to Fitzgerald and soon a 10 year correspondence was born between artist and student. Now, the student has talents and skills he is passing on—student has become the teacher. In the summer issue of Acrylic Artist, we delve into the work, technique and story of artist, Alvin Richard and feature 10 of his paintings.

In this online special, we take a look at few more of Richard’s works, was well as the painting that was, and still is, of great inspiration to him.

Evening by Lloyd Fitzgerald

Evening (above) caught the eye of acrylic artist Alvin Richard. “Upon seeing it I knew instantly that this was technically how I wanted to paint. I had never seen an acrylic painting done with such vibrancy,” shares Richard.

“His palette of transparent colors and the way he often saturates them was what attracted me to his work from the get go,” shares Richard. “At the time, I was very much interested in painting the figure. The way he presented his subjects in a three dimensional manner creating depth within the image had great appeal to me.”

Evening is by New Brunswick artist and instructor, Lloyd Fitzgerald who began to teach and mentor Richard in a most unusual way—via letters. To learn more about their correspondence and Fitzgerald’s reaction to the work of Richard, read the summer issue of Acrylic Artist.

 

The Coca Cola Bottle at 100 by acrylic artist Alvin Richard

The Coca-Cola Bottle at 100 (acrylic on hardboard, 20×10)

Alvin Richard:  I’ve always had a sentimental soft spot for Coca-Cola. Not necessarily as a beverage of choice but for the ever lasting work the company has done in promoting it’s product for more than a century while keeping it relevant with the changing times.  My first original painting done in 1987 A Place in the Sun featured a Coca-Cola paper cup next to my wife who was sunbathing at the beach. I’ve had the privilege to show my work in an exhibition entitled The Real Thing that was organized by Mason Murer Fine Art in Atlanta for the top shareholders of Coca-Cola when the company was celebrating their 125th anniversary. This painting is in response to the iconic shape of the Coca-Cola bottle celebrating it’s 100 anniversary in 2015, and for being a permanent fixture in popular culture for that same duration.

A World in Need of More Superheros acrylic artist Alvin Richard

A World in Need of More Superheroes (acrylic on gessobord, 11×14, 2014)

Alvin Richard:  A World in Need of More Superheroes is a much different kind of painting than any other I’ve done before. The globe sphere is a toy that belonged to my wife when she was a child while the Superman was collected from a kid’s meal by our son when he was young. Superman celebrated his 75th anniversary in 2013. The fact that I was going to make the figuring fly prompted me to take a whole new direction with the imagery and creating a fictional space. This painting is a tribute for all of the unsung super heroes that exist in real life.

 

 

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