RICHARD LIMBER, A SHORT BIO

(not a pedigree)

I don't claim, or desire to have an artistic pedigree, but will explain a few key moments of my unorthodox path...

My first determined artistic efforts began with my mother's effusive praise (not a prodigy, but well loved)... Or it could have been when I perfected the facility to draw detailed portraits of vain members of the opposite sex (flattery will get you somewhere). Or it may have been when I audited an anatomy and physiology course and carefully illustrated cadavers in an effort to gain some understanding of the interior of the human body.

Next, it was off for a short stint to an overly trendy art school in Nova Scotia where I was considered "unteachable" by the head professor who was a rigid conceptualist, who had a pronounced hostility for a young, arrogant, figurative primadonna (me). Since that time I have taken instruction where I desire (usually individual artists), attended art colonies, and have drawn many, many figures. Also worth mentioning is the sketching I have done in various art institutions (such as the MET and the MFA), some drawing was done at the aforementioned institutions' bathroom walls (probably a short run...).

SHOWING HISTORY

(short and sweet)

Living on the resort island of Martha's Vineyard I've been actively showing my wares in the form of annual solo and/or group shows for a long time. I also curate at the local arts center, including this fall when I will organize a politically themed show tied to the upcoming election.

In the distant past I was a participant in a number of group shows in a few major cities in the northeast. Currently I have my eyes on Provincetown and Boston (where I have shown in the past), hoping to find good venues to show my work (contact me)...

SEND ME A MESSAGE
ARTIST'S STATEMENT

(if it doesn't resonate why bother?!...)

Most of my output is a reaction to something. Sometimes a face, or a body that is in front of me. Or an image in a newspaper that jumps out at me because of its depiction of an important moment in time, and also possessing a strong graphic quality that ties it with iconic art of the past...

Another source of material has been stills from experimental movies from the fifties and sixties. At times I combine some of these various pictures with doors and structures to create a dramatic theatrical construction with a political edge.

These methods of working are an effort to be maximally engaged when creating, with the hopes of drawing the future viewer with a dramatic image that isn't afraid of telling a difficult story, like listening to an engrossing argument, both engaging and dissonant.