Richard M. Levy - Maker's Monday January 2024

Richard M. Levy

Richard Levy has been exhibiting at SCAA regularly since 2019, including a Members Invitational Exhibition in 2022. Outside of his involvement at SCAA, he has had an impressive career. A multi-disciplinary artist, Richard has had large-scale steelworks on display at Tufts University, has created virtual reconstructions of archaeological sites for international museums, and has witnessed his animations from reconstruction projects shown at the Electronic Arts and Animation Festival, SIGGRAPH2001, in Los Angeles. Later in his career, he was one of the founding Co-Directors of the Computational Media Design Program at the University of Calgary. This Masters and PhD program is dedicated to multi-disciplinary research in the visual arts, music, dance, drama, design, and computer science. He is also an ardent painter, which you will read about here.
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To see more of Richard's work, take a look at his website. 

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Where are you from, and what do you make?

Originally from East Orange, New Jersey, I grew up in the New York City neighborhood of Suffern, NY. Being close to the city made it possible even at a young age to visit the great museums of NY.  I owe much to my parents who would drive in on the weekends and take me to exhibits at the Guggenheim, Metropolitan, Frick and Whitney.  Not surprisingly in my youth my work was focused on landscapes based on scenes where I lived. Many of these early landscapes were of the places in my immediate surroundings and those we would visit while on family vacation.
As an undergraduate at Tufts University, I studied civil engineering and art and graduated with an engineering degree with a concentration in structural design. While at Tufts University, I pursued an interest in sculpture.  After graduating I pursued a master’s degree in architectural design at the University of California, Berkeley. Now that I have retired from a full-time academic career, I have the opportunity to seriously pursue painting in acrylics.

How long have you been seriously pursuing art?

Even as a young student, art was a passion. My first art lessons were at the age of 10, and although I have pursued an academic career, art has always been part of my life.  However, now that I have been retired for five years, I am able to devote myself to painting.  I have been fortunate to show in galleries in Rhode Island and in a group show exhibiting seven of my paintings at GREEN SPACE Gallery at TF Green International Airport.

What inspires you to create?

Living in Rhode Island, my art has been influenced by the natural beauty of the area. The places featured in my work are well-known to those living near the coast. The beaches, inlets, bay, saltwater ponds, and lakes are major features of my work. In particular, the changing atmospheric conditions are part of these studies. Light, though a critical factor in all paintings, is fundamental to landscape painting.  Though we rarely see the sun in view, its location shapes all aspects of composition.  Even on a cloud-covered day, the location of the sun will have a direct bearing on our perception of natural form.  For this reason, changes in the sun that occur by season, time of day, and weather make any location a life study. Though the study of natural settings is the major inspiration for my work, I believe that the artist’s point of view should always be present in a work of art.  Painting requires the physical manipulation of a fluid medium.  In creating a work of art, the energy preserved in each stroke is a record of the artist's struggle to present their worldview. In addition to landscapes, I have painted a number of portraits. My subjects are family members and relatives. Several of these portraits are group portraits that attempt to capture a moment in my family history. 

Which artist outside of your chosen medium has had the most impact on your art? What do they do and in what way do they influence you?

Though I find this a difficult question, I would have to respond, Ansel Adams.  As a young college student in the late 1960’s I discovered Adam’s work.  His iconic use of light and shadow, and his meticulous attention to detail has given me a greater appreciation for the subtleties of tonality in landscape compositions.  In particular, his ability to convey the sublime beauty of landscapes has taught me to look at the landscape as an interplay of light and shadow.

Is there a work of art that has changed your life or how you view the world in some way?

Though it is difficult to single out any single work or artist that has changed my world view, when in my youth, it was the work from the late 19th century that had the greatest impact on my development, including those by Turner, Whistler, Money, Cezanne, Seurat, Manet, Homer and Eakins. It was later in college that I discovered the work of the minimalists and constructivists of the 20th century.  As a young sculptor, I gravitated towards the work of Rickey, David Smith, Tony Smith, Brancusi and Moore.  In particular, the stark simplicity of minimalism, the geometric precision of constructivism, emphasized for me the power of large-scale work. Later in life I have learned to appreciate the work of John Singer Sargent. His masterful command of the brush, coupled with an uncanny ability to capture the essence of his subjects, has become an inspiration in my attempts at portraiture. In addition to work of Sargent, I find much to learn from the portraits of David Hockney. His vibrant colors, bold compositions, and an unmistakable understanding of his subjects are inspirational.

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As a member of SCAA, what do you like most about us?

Being part of a community of artists that has a history that is approaching 100 years, is highly stimulating. Having the opportunity to show with other artists in Rhode Island, keeps me engaged in current artistic pursuits.

Tell us a joke:

An artist has been displaying his paintings in an art gallery.
He asks the gallery owner if anyone has bought his work.
"I have good news and bad news," says the gallery owner.
The good news is that a man asked if your work would be worth more after your death.
​I told him it would and he bought all ten of your paintings."
"That's wonderful," says the artist. "What's the bad news?"
"The man was your doctor."