Years ago I witnessed a splendid pair of Percheron draft horses pull a stone sled at the Ford County Fair and captured the image of strength on watercolor paper. Since then I have seen draft horses as an icon of our heritage. I recalled a photograph of my grandfather's stallions Jimmy and Jake and it revealed the ancestral legacy of workhorse farming. The horse is an icon of strength that connects us to our heritage. Draft horse paintings express the legacy of team work and performance in vocation. I see the elegant simplicity of light shining on a team binding corn and the vision calls for light brilliant elements of color. The brilliant light is amplified by a contrasting thick layer of paint creating a feeling of mass. The natural skin tones are expressed with the satin finish of casein mixed with acrylics. The horse's massive physique is under painted with color to provide authority to the contoured muscles that power the pull.
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Rick is involved in creating new images of dynamic energy inspired from the events of nearby Midwestern towns. The portraits are an account of the fascinating people he has encountered throughout his life.
Born in Des Moines, Iowa and raised in Illinois his interest with drawing began at an early age and a visual interpretation of life evolved in his paintings and sculptures. After obtaining a BFA at Western Illinois University he started a career as a freelance storyboard artist. Working with many interesting people on a variety of projects the Chicago Loop Ad Agencies evolved into a growing cliental on the East Coast as well as the Los Angles area.
His fine art paintings have won many regional and national awards in museums and private collections throughout the nation. Rick is a charter member of Watercolor USA Honor Society, a member of the DuPage Art League and a member of the American Society Of Portrait Artists-ASOPA.
Rick has painted patriotic themes of our countries changing times as a member of the Air Force Art Program.
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