Richard J. S. Young Contemporary Mixed Media, Abstract Still Life

Young - Contemporary Mixed Media, Abstract Still Life. A colourful abstract mixed media work by Richard J. Signed to the lower left and dated 2018. Presented in a card mount and simple wood effect frame. Some light surface marks to the frame. From a new selection of works in oil directly from the artist's studio. Executed with expressive line and rich in texture, Richard continues to be inspired by the visual landscape that surrounds us.

I enjoy colour and making marks. My drawings and paintings are explorations of how the paint or pencil interact with the surface... For me, my more interesting images are those that are cerebral and require some interpretation on the part of the viewer.

Certainly, my exhibition oil paintings are like that. My interest in photographic arts and cinema have both left marks on my image creating.

Born in the leafy suburbs of Woking, Surrey, a year later, Young's family moved to Australia where they settled near Adelaide, and then to Woomera in South Australia's far north desert region, the outback. Right from kindergarten, Young was a compulsive drawer and painter on pretty much any surface he could find.

He even won a painting prize when he was 7 years old with the state newspaper. Woomera's arid and dry desert landscape provided an enduring inspiration where bright colours contrasted beautifully with the vast and expansive blue sky. At school, he discovered Cubism, then Cézanne and Matisse whose view of the world was colourful and distorted, the academic facility of drawing was not needed.

This is where Young's exciting journey into colour adventures and abstraction began. There was then a cascade of artist's influences : Degas's ballerinas, Turner's later experimental watercolours, the so called'colour beginnings' and to Richard Parkes Bonington, an early and exquisite English landscape watercolourist. However, the real change was the exciting discovery of the New York expressionists, in particular the works of Rothko, de Kooning and Pollock together and in parallel with Warhol.

These influences have stayed with him throughout his life and career. Academically, Young is a scientist and obtained a PhD in Chemical Physics at the University of Kent in Canterbury and later spent time at UCL's The Slade School of Art. He has spent his life with scientific and artistic pursuits running in parallel.

Young has stated that he had chosen to join his interests in art and science... I was inspired as a teenager by Leonardo Di Vinci who as a Renaissance man joined art and the sciences and pioneered many of the techniques of art and technology. He designed pigments for ceramic glazes and also inks for screen printed electronic applications. His artistic process indicates an artist who reflects the currents and motions of the outside world; his tendency to experiment is very evident. Today, Young's current artistic and aesthetic influences are diverse, extending from painting to music, the photographic arts and cinema. Contemporary music drive his images forward, ranging from artists such as Steve Reich, Max Richter, Olafur Arnalds to Four Tet and the Blondes. Literature creates a mantle where text is appropriated and used as source inspiration, often stolen from William Shakespeare or a song's lyrics so creating a narrative within the images.

Current influences to the abstracted works are drawn from works of the New York expressionists but also Richard Diebenkorn, Rauschenberg and Twombly. The figure work is still influenced by Degas but incorporates the structured mark making of Euan Uglow (who taught The Slade). The photographic aesthetic of the New York Photography school (Saul Leiter in particular), New Topographics and radical fashion photography. Young has had a number of one man exhibitions, won Fine Art prizes at University, exhibited at The Royal Academy of Arts (Piccadilly), The West of England Academy (Bristol) and Victoria Gallery (Bath) and elsewhere. Works are in private collections around the world.

Much of these influences can be seen in the works available to you in the Sulis Fine Art collection. You can view our full collection of these here. Size: 16 x 11cm (6.3" x 4.3"). Framed Size: 28 x 23cm (11" x 9.1"). Includes a Certificate of Authenticity.

All our artworks are packaged to a very high standard, using protective cellophane wallets, hardboard backing, and bubble wrap. Framed pictures are packed into custom made cartons. All of our items come with a Certificate of Authenticity. Sulis Fine Art traces its origins back four generations. Benjamin Diamond opened a picture framing factory in Midtown Manhattan in the early 20th century.

Originally known as Royal Art, the business worked closely with artists and museum institutions, developing a reputation for creating fine frames. Royal Art passed through the family and eventually evolved into Sulis, now run by Benjamin's grandson Bill, and his son Dan. We handpick all our stock and we've grown into a ten-strong team of art historians, photographers, restorers, studio technicians and despatchers. We relocated to our Corsham studio in early 2020, leaving behind our small garden workshops in Bradford-on-Avon that had been our base for several successful years. We are always striving to connect people with the art they love.

Each week we add new artworks to our extensive catalogue, across all styles, subjects, colours and periods. At the heart of Sulis, we rescue and restore lost and forgotten works, giving you the opportunity to find unique pieces and discover art in a new and different way.