Richard Paul

I got to the point where mountains were beginning to look alike and realised the potential audience was quite limited.  After climbing 700 peaks I began to change focus - to beaches.  You may think you know the British beaches - full of lobster red bodies, children running around building sandcastles and dropping ice-creams - but these make up only a tiny proportion.  There are far more quiet and remote beaches, many stunningly beautiful, but too far from a carpark or facilities to draw the crowds.

I began with the stunningly beautiful beaches of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles if you prefer).  In particular the area near Luskentyre (Losgantir) on Harris.  I've been there seven times now, and never cease to find a new angle or lighting that I want to paint.  In 2017 I discovered that the island of Tiree is just as stunning too.  With a dozen unspoilt beaches around its shore, you'll more than likely have them to yourself.  Only the kite-surfers seem to know about this place.

Over the years I've diversified into many other subjects.  In the animal kingdom I've done a series of British butterflies, which I've achieved through very subtle additions of colour from an almost dry brush; and my miniatures of highland cattle. Their thick coats particularly suit an impasto technique, laying on ever more layers of pigment to create that lovely texture.

My industrial landscapes have proved popular too.  Few people paint what most see as ugly industry, but look closely and there is a hidden beauty - particularly where a little rust and grubbiness starts to take over.  I'm not the first to notice this of course, as the impressionists did many an industrial scene.  What would be the modern equivalent in terms of unlikely subjects - I guess painting the office!

In late 2017 I fell seriously ill, escaping an early demise only thanks to the National Health Service and my underlying fitness.  The year that followed was a year of recovery and a year of painting subjects closer to home, or from my photo archives.  During that time I started exploring darkness with more dusk, dawn and night pictures. 

2018 saw a rare snowfall where I live in Romsey (the last was five years previous).  It gave me a couple of opportunities to get some fresh views of the town, first in daylight, and on the second fall, at 5:30am on a March Sunday morning, pre-dawn.  That has led me on to try a few more nocturnal paintings of town and city - they have gone down well with the public.

2019 has seen me painting more human landscapes, requiring me to master the human figure as part of the view.  The very best of this can be found in my 2021/2 paintings of Salisbury market, and the Romsey lantern parade (2022) - compositions I would never have attempted just a few years before.

On this site I can give you a flavour of my work, but the image on the screen lacks the textures and reflectivity that adds an extra dimension to the real thing.  A good example is my view from Smoo, where the cave walls change as you move around and the light reflects at different angles from the brush strokes.

You can see selections of my work at various events.  Or you can arrange a visit to my studio in Hampshire (UK), which I can set up especially for whatever you are interested in - including my 3D work in wood and metal, which is not shown here.