Foundling is a new drawing that I completed for the inaugural online group exhibition by WOWXWOW called Lightning Bolts and Little Sparks. In honour of the show the site has posted a new interview with me. I hope you’ll take the time to check out this incredible show featuring the works of a truly diverse group of artists.
Foundling, 2017, ink, 27″ x 19″
Foundling Detail 1
Foundling Detail 2
Foundling Detail 3
Anguish of Mind, 2017, ink on archival board, 10″ x 8″
New work!
This is the most recent of a series of small pen and ink drawings of board. Now, it’s time to return to my large drawing Foundling. I’ll return to these little guys later.
Richard.
Mysterious Influence, 2017, ink on archival board, 10″ x 8″
I finished this drawing last night in a focused three hour session under a prickly cloud of late-in-the-day caffeine and headphone music (6lack and Pineapple Thief). Like the last piece, it’s mostly brush and carbon black ink, and a little fine tuning with a dip pen. As soon as it was finished I was already thinking about the next one. The 8″ x 10″ size is perfect for creating compact little worlds. There are 8 more boards in this tablet, so a series is tempting. Maybe just one more, before I go back to the Foundling. If you are interested in seeing works in progress, I document new works on my Instagram account See icon on this page).
Over the weekend I added another 1200 words to a new short story called Powerplant. It’s for a new collection called Dark Cloth, which I’m hoping – rather arbitrarily – to have done by the end of 2017. I also need to return to the novel I’m writing, tentatively, The Tangled Slope. I left my main character in a rather awkward position.
Richard.
Search Party, 2017, ink on archival board, 8″ x 10″
Search Party – detail
This is a new piece called Search Party. I’m taking a break from some large pieces to execute some smaller ideas. For this drawing I used brush and ink for the main subject and a dip pen for the background. It was done on archival Cranson board. I’ll probably do a few in this vein. It behooves me to mention that this drawing is available for purchase in my webstore, where earlier in the week I added a few other small originals.
Earlier in the month I sent the copy-edited manuscript of my novel Necessary Monsters back to the publisher. The publication date has been changed to June 6. It is available for pre-order on Amazon and other on-line sellers.
I also sent a revised to manuscript of my short-story collection Magpie’s Ladder to another publisher. I hope to have an announcement around this project in then next few weeks.
Hypnos, 2017, ink on paper, 11″ x 8″
Hypnos, detail
Hypnos, detail
Hypnos, detail
I just finished this new drawing. It was originally intended to be called Neume (see earlier post) but a different character emerged in my mind as I worked on it. I’ve added a few details for a closer look. This work will be for sale on my webstore shortly. If you are interested, hit me with an email or message.
Richard.
I am really thrilled to be showing my work with this diverse and exciting group of artists. If you are in the area don’t miss a chance to check it out. This kind of show is rare in London. I have 3 miniature prints available and 5 original works. This afternoon I had a chance to see some of the amazing works by my My Pet Skeleton and Sarah LeGault. Incredible stuff! See you there.
Neume – work in progress
Last night, I cleaned out my trusty Rotrings so that I could do some pointillism work. I had an idea for a new drawing, a flower creature. This kind of drawing starts off as stream of consciousness, all about the sheer pleasure of line. The finish though will be very controlled and polished, as everything is pulled together into a galaxy tiny dots. What you see here is only the underdrawing. I like the collision of ideas: plant, animal, & sound. This piece is approximately 9″ x 6″ and will be available on my website soon.
. Richard.
THE SHADOWOOD COLLECTIVE proudly presents their 7th show… DO WE MAKE YOU UNEASY? After 6 years of hibernating the collective crawls out of the shadows and presents a stunning collection of dark imagery. With original works from Clive Barker and Anita Kunz at the helm of the exhibition, not to mention a fantastic assortment of whimsical miniatures created by an incredible group of award winning artists, you simply don’t want to miss opening night! Special deals on much of the artwork will be exclusively available to everyone who purchases a ticket. We are especially happy to announce that “SEDATIVE” (Mark Thibideau) will be performing darkly ambient noises, beats and grooves to emphasize the themes within the show. In the lower gallery, we will be showcasing a collection of video installations, short films and music videos that involved several members of the Shadowood Collective (see the trailer for clues to what those may be, and yes the directors will be in attendance). For those who would like to imbibe within the shadows… this event will indeed be licensed. It’s worth noting that anyone who buys a VIP ticket will also get a very limited nickel enamel “Shadowood Collective” pin (see the design below, each one with a unique number etched on the back). A VIP ticket holder also gets an exclusive SHADOWOOD COLLECTIVE poster signed by the artist. Order your advanced VIP ticket now before they are gone… there are only 100 available.
You can also purchase the tickets directly at The ARTS Project directly at their box office here ~ 203 Dundas Street, London, Ontario 519.642.2767
Artists Included:
Clive Barker, Anita Kunz, Alex Garant, My Pet Skeleton, Sarah Legault, Sara Deck, Richard A. Kirk, Jeremy Hobbs, Ryan Price, Paige Reynolds, Gary Pullin, Justin Erickson, FN Vegas, Anthony Veilleux, James Zirco Fisher, Josh Deck, Chris Austin, Nidia Martinez, Sean Chappell
The show will run from Feb 7th – 19th.
Cover of Necessary Monsters, 2017, Arche/ Resurrection House
I am very excited to show you the cover of my new novel Necessary Monsters, which will be published this May and is now available for pre-order. I can’t wait to share this novel with readers. I re-wrote the book many times over the last few years, refining it to the book I saw in my head. It is, to paraphrase the publisher, true to my art. This observation pleased me immensely because I wrote it to explore the worlds I love through my characters stories. This is a novel filled with books, crumbling cities and unsettling landscapes, magic and of course, monsters. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
Other stuff: I spent the last few days moving my website from one platform to another, taking the opportunity to simplify, and cull some older images. The flexibility of the new platform will make it a lot easier to keep the site updated. What can you expect to see? The work highlighted under the Portfolio tab is personal work and ranges from 2009 to present. The Illustration tab highlights various publications, which I either illustrated or contributed to. Over time, I will turn some of those images into gallery links, displaying images from the various projects. But that is phase 2 and will unfold time permitting. Another page, which will be more dynamic and added sooner, will be called Available Originals. My plan with the Available Originals page is to showcase original works appropriate to all budgets. Works on this page will typically be unframed. As an aside, I am very careful with the shipping of original work – at minimum, works are placed in an archival mylar sleeve and shipped sandwiched in 3 pieces of stiff foamcore, within a plastic bubble envelope. For those interested in purchasing a print, they are available in my webstore.
. Richard
Flowers of Neverland, 2016, graphite and carbon pencil on Arches 300lb coldpress, 10″ x 10″
I just finished this piece. Love drawing on heavy paper. It feels so damned decadent.
