RICHARD CURRIER

Born: 1960

Resides: Florida

“The most difficult task for many artists is to describe their artwork to someone who asks, “Why is this done?” or “What does this mean?” Unlike a work of literature, within the words and pages lies the message and must be read to understand the meaning. A painting for the viewer exists in its entirety, everything the artist intended within the surface, exposed, for everyone to see. The artist's task complete, it is up to the viewer to decide if the work deserves their attention. For the artist, there are no right answers, only questions posed from imagery. The viewer, if the work intrigues him, must find his own answers as to why. Often this results in a wide variety of interpretations, the response of one may be completely different from another. Therein lays the beauty of art.”

“For me, the questions for understanding have always been the same: it is the response that changes depending on the circumstances. What was considered absolute in another time or place demands a new interpretation in this time and place. Therein lays the purpose for art.”

“In my paintings, I have always been drawn towards dramatic imagery, using contrasting elements of color, shape and space. I paint until the objects become more than what they are. This seems to result in a heightened reality to the images although 'realism' is not necessarily the goal. I enjoy the balance of positive and negative space, pulling imagery from the space as well as pushing space back to expose the form.”

“The subject of my paintings, to me, has always been the fusion of light and form. The objects carry that light and form within the space, and to provide a reference for the viewer.”

“This relation of the artwork and the viewer is a very important one. Art needs an audience and is incomplete without one.”

-Richard Currier

Richard Currier has exhibited widely throughout the Southern United States for 20 years. He received his artistic training at the Ringling School of Art & Design in Sarasota, Florida, as well as independent studies in Amsterdam and Paris.

His work is included in the permanent public collections of the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, the Daytona Museum of Art and Science, and the Deland Museum of Art in Florida.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

  • 2012 Lombard Contemporary Art, Orlando Fl - Florida Landscapes
  • 2010 August/January 2011 - Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland Fl - Visual Unity
  • 2010 August/September Ormond Memorial Art Museum, About Face - a Portraiture Exhibition
  • 2010 January/February Longstreth Goldberg Art, Naples, Fl - Objective Realities
  • 2010 The Art Center, St. Petersburg Fl - Visual Unity
  • 2009 Naples Museum of Art, Fl - Florida Contemporary; Paintings and Photographs
  • 2008 Long View Gallery, Washington DC - Solo Exhibition
  • 2007 The Bill Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, GA
  • 2006 Deland Museum of Art, Deland, FL
  • 2006 Gulf Coast Museum of Art, Bellair, FL
  • 2005 Between Black and White, Brevard Museum of Art and Science, Melbourne, FL
  • 2002 Beeckman Gallery, New York, NY
  • 2002 Longstreth & Goldberg Gallery, Naples, FL
  • 1998 Art Expo, New York, NY
  • 1998 Exhibition of Collected Artists, Deland Museum of Art, Deland, FL
  • 1997 Art Expo, New York, NY
  • 1997 Selections from CHROMA, Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala, FL
  • 1996 Juried Competition, Center for the Arts Florida Gallery, Vero Beach, FL
  • 1988 Southern Light, Quinlan Museum of Art, Gainesville, GA
  • 1988 Biennial Drawing Exhibition, Muscarelle Museum, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA
  • 1987 2nd American Print & Drawing Exhibition, Clemson University, Clemson, SC (award of merit)

SELECTED COLLECTIONS

  • Robert Earl (founder of Planet Hollywood)
  • Bill Gates (Microsoft)
  • Xavier Roberts (creator of the Cabbage Patch doll)

PUBLICATIONS

  • 2009 Arts & Sciences, From the Museum of Arts and Sciences in association with the Smithsonian Institute. Cover and featured article “Ambiguous Realm of the Undetermined”
  • 2004 “On Handling Intimate Still Life,” American Artist