User:Onimahs1

Short Biography and Artist’s Statement My name is John Richards, Jr. but most call me by my nickname, "Skeets." I was born in Adams, Massachusetts on February 3, 1947. I lived in Adams, went to its public schools, and graduated from the former Adams Memorial High School in 1965. I received a B.A. in Physics and an M.A. in Education from North Adams State College, now named the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. I have been married to Barbara Richards since June, 1969 and have a daughter named Carolyn, now Carolyn Kutny of Atkinson, N.H. My wife and I reside on Lindley Terrace  in Williamstown, Ma. and have done so since 1972. I was a science teacher at the Berkshire Country Day School in Lenox, Ma. for one year and a Physics Teacher at Drury High School in North Adams, Ma. for 34 years, officially retiring from teaching on June 30, 2004. I am basically self-taught as an artist. My desire to paint in oils began as a child but took hold in the mid-1980’s due to a television “how-to” painter named Bill Alexander. He was a teacher of Bob Ross, another PBS featured landscape painter. Shortly afterwards I became very interested in the landscape paintings of the Hudson River School Painters of the mid-1800’s, including such artists as Frederic Church, George Inness, and Albert Bierstadt. Their ability to portray nature as they saw it, a wondrous place with intricate details that man is subordinate to, was beyond compare. My style has evolved in this manner. I see nature as our home, a sacred place to be revered and not taken advantage of. You’ll see virtually no semblance of modern technical life, such as cars, computers, skyscrapers, etc., in my paintings; I choose to paint scenes that portray serenity and quiet contemplation, much like the days of my youth in Adams. It was a time of dairy farms, Little League Baseball, and walks in the woods with my dog. I am also painting still life subjects in the style of the Dutch painters of the 16th and 17th centuries; they appeal to that sense of serenity that I long for. Recent Art shows and exhibitions in 2007 where my work was exhibited include the North Adams Open Studios, the Berkshire Harvest festival in Stockbridge, MA., the Pittsfield Art Show, Dewey Hall in Sheffield, MA., and the Gallery at Western Gateway Heritage Park in North Adams, MA. I have created my own website which shows over one hundred and fifty of my paintings, some for sale and many owned by people from around the United States. You may access the website by going to: www.jrichardsjr.com