Born 1953 in Sydney, Richard moved to
Melbourne in 1956. He holds a Diploma of Art & Design, majoring in
Graphics in 1974, from the Prahran College of
Advanced Education and a Diploma of Education from the Melbourne State
College. He taught Art for 10 years and resigned as the Head of the Creative
Arts Department.
In 1985, Richard established the Mt. Aitken
Art Gallery in Gisborne South, Victoria and started painting part-time as a
realist Artist. From all the many artists Richard met, none painted
Photo-Realistically in Oils, hence he was forced to teach himself and develop
the style that came most naturally to him. During this initial period,
he won two 1st. prizes, as well as other accreditations. Melton Council
also purchased two of his paintings for their collection.
Following his first Solo Exhibition at Mt
Aitken Gallery in 1989, Richard started painting full-time in a Photo-Realist
style. Up until 1992, he painted many commissions, held Art Classes in
his studio and won many prizes and accreditations. He participated in
group exhibitions and was accepted into the 'Australian Guild of Realist
Artists'.
After his second One-Man Exhibition at
Balmoral Galleries, Geelong, Richard sought a greater challenge, hence
changing his style to Super Realism, but not losing his minute detail
technique. To truly appreciate Richard's brush skills and detail, the
viewer is encouraged to look close up at his paintings.
In 1993, Richard was accepted as a member of
the 'Victorian Artists Society' and in 1994, he continued to win prizes, as
at the Torquay Art Expo where the Judge, Don Stuchbery, described his work as "Super realism at
its best. Exceptional mastery of the difficult skills required for this
school of painting. The viewer easily becomes spellbound by the
intricacies of detail, yet the real power of his work comes from the
starkness and simplicity of Composition."
From 1994, Richard has been busy
experimenting with new subjects and participating in group exhibitions, as a memeber of A.G.R.A. (Australian Guild of Realist Artists)
in Victoria, to Schubert Galleries, Queensland. His 3rd. Solo
Exhibition was held at Delshan Gallery, Armadale,
where the director quoted "Mr. Siemens is an Australian artist to
watch...The detail is just incredible and we have nothing else like it at the
Gallery". Richard's 4th. Solo Exhibition was held in Brisbane in
1996.
In 1997, Richard was accepted into 'The
Australian Society of Miniature Art, Victoria' and the 'Wildlife Art Society
of Australasia'. He also judged the Melbourne High School Art
Exhibition. During 1998 and 1999, Richard spent most of his time painting commission
works for various clients. He also held his 5th. Solo Exhibition at Delshan Gallery.
During 2000, Richard, with his wife, moved
into their new home, "Isle of View", on the edge of the South Coast
of NSW. In 2001, Richard designs (and maintains) his Richard Siemens Artist
website: www.richardsiemensartist.com
Through 2002 and 2003, Richard found new
Galleries in NSW, Canberra and Sydney. He participated in mixed
Exhibitions and had his 6th. Solo Exhibition at Delshan
Gallery. His art works are labelled "Illusion Paintings"
because of the 3-dimensional illusion created by his compositions, colours, tones and the crisp, meticulous detail.
In 2004, Richard was invited to participate
in the "Eclectic Exhibition of Major Artists from Swinburne University",
Melbourne. He was a Finalist in the "Cromwell's $45,000 Art Prize
and Touring Exhibition" to the Jackman Gallery, Melbourne, The Art House
Hotel, Sydney and the Australian Embassy in Washington, USA. He won the
"Best Mixed Media" Prize at the Bega Regional Gallery Art Show and
was invited to talk about his unique painting style to the 'The Merimbula District Art Group'.
To broaden his experiences, Richard publishes
Limited Edition Giclee Reproductions of his
paintings. He also produces stunning Digital Art from his photographs of the
local bird life and combining them with his photographs of the local NSW
Wilderness Coast. With his eye for detail, many years of experience and
tremendous patience, Richard is also enjoying the challenge of Art Restoration
and Altering Digital Photo Images.
From 2010 to 2012, Richard was inspired to do a series of "Hooked on Fish" paintings,
still using his highly detail technique.
First exhibition at Ivy Hill Gallery, Wapengo, NSW in 2013.
Richard exhibited in 2014 at his new gallery,
Without Pier Gallery, 320 Bay Rd. Cheltenham, Vic.
Featured in the Sept. 2015 Edition, No 143,
'Artist Palette' magazine and demonstrates his painting technique. Has his
second exhibition at Ivy Hill Gallery, Wapengo, NSW.
In 2016, Richard starts to create the ‘3
Dimensional Geometric Illusion’ paintings, which were inspired by his garden's bird netting.
In 2018, Richard is still enjoying the challenge and satisfaction of doing Art Restoration, as no two tasks are the same.
Richard Siemens is listed in the 'Dictionary
of Australian Artists Online' (www.daao.org.au), the 'Who's Who of Australian
Visual Arts', 2nd. Edition by D.W.Thorpe. Also he
is included in the book '50 Australian Artists', edited by John Mutsaers and "Sapphire - images and art of the
sapphire coast" author Michelle Delle Vergin. His work is represented in many private
collections, both throughout Australia and overseas.
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