Meet Richard Blades

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Richard Blades. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Richard, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

From my experience, I have found that purpose is the alignment of identity, passion and practice. Do we find it, or does it find us? I am not sure there is a right answer to that question but I believe that we will know it when we are living it. 

I have made many mistakes in my life, taking paths that ran counter to the sense of purpose I feel today. In that sense, it can be a lifelong pursuit that is as much about how we feel as what we do. When they run simultaneously, then maybe we have found our purpose. I knew that I wanted to be an artist, but it took much exploration and many right and wrong turns to marry both desire and practice, feeling and doing. Sometimes, it can take an absence or loss of something to help discover meaning and if we can, find purpose in that process.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am an artist based in Norfolk, UK. Working in Oil and Gouache, my paintings are focused on colour and light. I paint both landscapes and still life. These are the subjects that interest me the most and are endless sources of inspiration.

I always aim to create a painting with a sense of flux of movement and a feeling that it’s a moment in time. Something one captures from the corner of an eye or a memory, the scene distilled and emotionally resonant.

I have been painting seriously since my mid-twenties and it has been a long but wonderful journey. There have been many successes and failures along the way and I like to see these things holistically. A creative path is never an easy one but when passion is at the heart of it, the possibilities for both learning and improving are endless.

As well as being a painter, I run courses and workshops with Penn Studio School of Art in Philadelphia. Teaching is very rewarding and having come from a family of teachers, it’s something that I am naturally drawn to. I’m also a gallerist, running and curating a small gallery ‘The Point Contemporary’ by the sea in Cromer, Norfolk. We curate group shows, bringing together some of the leading painters from the UK for exhibitions that highlight the strong and exciting work that’s being produced today. Along with this, I am also a cohost of the Painting Insights podcast with Simon Renshaw. 

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Work, work hard and align that with passion. Developing as an artist takes a lot of time and one must learn how to harness creativity in a way that becomes both sustainable and productive. Talent and inspiration are only elements of what means to be an artist. Hard work and dedication are just as valuable.

2. Accept failures as part of your journey. It’s difficult and can be devastating but learning from these things is the key to finding success. The same can be said for triumphs, they too hold valuable lessons. Nothing is permanent but there is one thing that can be consistent and that is you. Be consistently open and always learning, turning up and finding solutions rather than excuses.

3. Learn as much about Art as you possibly can, go to galleries, read books and see yourself as connected to a tradition that is as old as human history. This won’t help you paint any better but it will give you the knowledge to understand your practice better. Learn to write about your work and identify with it as part of you. Get your work out there and present it in the best way possible, Art is ultimately a form of material communication, you may write beautifully but if your grammar is off, the message can be lost. Visual Art is the same, learn from others how to communicate in the best way you can.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

There isn’t one specific book, I read a lot and have always enjoyed both fiction and nonfiction. I am particularly interested in reading the biographies of artists. Doing so, we can learn a lot from the paths that they took and whilst epochs and styles may change, those who ‘made it’ have a few things in common: Passion, hard work and dedication. Take any famous artist and one will see that behind the success and the body of work, there is someone who experienced the same kind of pressures that we may experience. Being able to relate to these things may help us believe in our journey that bit more. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://richardkbladesartist.co.uk
• Instagram: @richard.k.blades_art
• Other: https://thepointcontemporary.com

  https://www.pennstudioschool.com