Discover the Winning Masterpiece
“Winner”
Hollis Richardson
Artist Locale: Ohio, USA
Subject Matter: Expressive Contemporary
Medium: Mixed Media
About this Piece:
I have long been intrigued with the endless artistic opportunities of portraying women, their style and their relationships. I believe woman should have power and control over their own lives and the right to make choices for themselves. Female bonding and mentoring is an important part of the process for that path to be accelerated.
Winners is one of a series of my recent artworks that explore the many ways this theme can be portrayed in portrait stylized presentations. Juxtaposing these two women almost nose to nose suggests a close encounter and relationship. The bright, happy colors assure us there is something very positive happening between them. I used repetitions and variations of color and shapes to illuminate their moods and personalities and to brighten and balance the overall composition. They have the same colors with different patterns in their hair, but here is a line between them and they are on different colored backgrounds, suggesting they are indeed separate people with their own individuality.
Hollis Richardson grew up in rural Oklahoma, the seventh of eight children. He discovered the joy of drawing in childhood and was awarded recognition for a mural he created for his high school. After serving in the Army in Korea, he used the GI Bill to attend college. He earned a BA in art and an MA in art education from Southeastern State University, Durant, Oklahoma. He taught on the Navajo Reservation, and in Europe with the military dependent schools, where he saw the great masters in European Museums. He was particularly interested in the post impressionists, known for pushing past realism and an emphasis on obtaining an abstract quality to their work. While working as a mental health worker and a teacher for many years in California and Idaho, he consistently devoted
all of his free time to meeting the challenge of developing his artistic skills.
In the early 1970s, he created detailed realistic drawings of people, using radiograph pens, yielding fine lines that ultimately expressed the character of the person portrayed. It was an unforgiving medium. An error in the drawing or leak from the pen could not be erased. The artwork had to started over from the beginning on new paper. Oil paintings were less realistic, more post impressionistic. He participated in juried shows, earning recognition in several states. Every acceptance and award spurred him onward. He continually educated himself about the work of other artists, which influenced him to explore several genres. Upon discovery of Nicolai Fechin, the Russian born artist in Taos, NM, he emulated his techniques, painting in an impressionistic style. At the time he was living in Idaho and Colorado, attending native American Powwows and frequently visiting Taos and Santa Fe, where he trudged through the many art galleries, learning what made a painting good art. During this period of time, he created a body of western work mastering impressionism. He learned that regardless of the genre, the principles of good composition involved the use of contrast, emphasis, proportions, rhythm, movement, variety and unity.
In 1992, Richardson moved to Ohio and devoted himself full time to his artwork. He continued to invest in art books, studying the works of Van Gogh, Egon Schiel, Gustave Klimt, Chaim Soutine and African art. He liberated himself to follow and develop his own unique path. He created abstract oil paintings, and small sculptures in polymer clay and stone work that were figurative and whimsical. As he aged, he was forced to find another two dimensional medium, not involving the use of turpentine. He discovered the rich color and light fastness of Caran D’Arches Luminous colored pencils, similar to the qualities of oil paint that he loved. With the return to drawing, his work is increasingly more stylized with a strong abstract quality, often using distortion to enhance the composition, something he had learned early to appreciate. His art is informed by his experiences with people and cultures and reflect his deep empathy for people, often tinged with a touch of humor. They result from his varied experiences: a child migrant worker in California, a teacher of Navajo Reservation, s soldier in the last days of Korean War, life in Germany and France as a teacher in Army schools, a school teacher in rural Idaho and a mental health worker for many years in California and Colorado. His observations of human nature and his love of oil painting have consistently intermingled over the course of his lifetime.
Hollis continues to devote himself full time to his art, pursuing artistic excellence and expressing his appreciation of people who strive to maintain dignity and positive attitude in a complex world. His goal is to create expressive contemporary art, each artwork a better composition than the last. His distinctive art has achieved national recognition and can be found in homes and offices of discerning collectors throughout the United States.