Richard Watts

Richard is a largely self-taught artist currently living and working in Somerset. However, his enthusiasm for art, and in particular fine art, started a long time ago when at the age of 18 he enrolled on a one-year art and design foundation course at Reigate School of Art and Design in Surrey.

After a very enjoyable and thoroughly absorbing twelve months of study any thoughts of pursuing a lifelong career in art quickly fizzled out with the demands of a young family and the need for financial security. His passion for creating art always remained in the background until recently when, after many years, he has returned to painting and drawing as a necessary balance to his working life as a secondary school teacher (not art in case you are wondering).

Richard's medium of choice would be acrylics usually painted onto paper or canvas but he loves to draw with charcoal and also challenge himself with the occasional watercolour.

He mainly paints from photographs he has taken and although each photograph records a place and time it is through painting that he hopes to capture his emotional response to that moment. In doing so he will readily change the style of each piece accordingly and although his artwork may share certain characteristics he would not say that it follows any particular style.

Because of his personal attachment to each piece, he has always been reluctant to share his art with others. However, following a brief showing of one of his drawings on Grayson's Art Club on Channel 4 and with support and guidance from local artist and tutor Dawn Cox, he now feels able to share some of these moments with you."