This Image: Madrona Duo

Cynthia Richardson photo by Mark Gardner

"My work is based in reality and inspired by nature, but takes it in many different directions... My paintings often interpret what I see around me. Sometimes it's a wide expanse of sky, sea, farmland or forest. Other times it's a smaller detail."

Cynthia Richardson, AIA. Anacortes, WA, USA. Cynthia is an architect and artist whose acrylic paintings are inspired by the beauty of the natural environment around her. In a style she calls "relaxed realism", she captures the essential character of her subjects, from tiny flowers to seascapes, forests, and majestic mountains.


Tell us about yourself and your background.
In college I took a couple of art classes, but then for over 40 years I set art aside to focus on earning a Master of Architecture degree, raising 3 children, serving on the City Council, and a full-time career as an architect. A few years ago, just for fun, I took a weekend painting workshop - and I was hooked. A firm believer in continuing to learn throughout life, I embarked on weekly painting classes with impressionist painter Dianna Shyne.  I credit her for much of my development as an artist. Sharing insights learned through many years of painting, she has helped me understand so many things that I never could have discovered on my own. Ongoing classes with Mike Wise, plus workshops with other professional artists continue to expand my horizons and introduce me to new ideas. And sometimes there's an "aha!" moment that takes me to a new level of understanding.

Woodland Waterfall

Lunchtime

"If someone says, "That doesn't look like your usual style", that's a good thing. It means I'm continuing to change and grow."

Tell us about your work and style, why is it unique?
My work is based in reality and inspired by nature, but takes it in many different directions. I like to challenge myself by trying new techniques, materials, color palettes, subject matter, etc. One day I might try a small detailed still life, another time it could be a large impressionistic seascape. Museums, galleries, books, magazines, and the internet all give me opportunities to be inspired by the work of other artists.  Like adding spices to a pot of soup, I can incorporate those bits of inspiration into my work and the result is a new unique flavor. If someone says, "That doesn't look like your usual style", that's a good thing. It means I'm continuing to change and grow.

Tell us about your process and how you feel when creating.
Wherever I travel, I'm always taking reference photos. But rather than copying a specific view, I use these for inspiration and create my own compositions, rearranging elements from several photos and choosing my own color palette to develop a new scene of my own creation. Using a variety of resources, I aim for expressing the character, or essence, of my subject, whether it's a tree or a mountain, a bird or a barn, and expand on that essence to produce a uniquely new work of art. Often I begin a painting, and as it progresses it takes on a life of its own.  As I add or eliminate details, rearrange elements or modify colors and values, it evolves into a richer statement than I could have envisioned at the start.
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Don't Look Down

Golden Canopy

"Often I begin a painting, and as it progresses it takes on a life of its own. As I add or eliminate details, rearrange elements or modify colors and values, it evolves into a richer statement than I could have envisioned at the start."

Why are you attracted to your preferred mediums?
Acrylics suit my personal working style perfectly. They dry quickly, so I can enhance or correct an area right away - no waiting for the paint to dry. No odor or toxic chemicals. Easy cleanup with water. And so many techniques are possible, from heavy impasto to drybrush, glazing, washes, scumbling, spattering - using brushes, palette knives, textures, mediums, and various tools - acrylics can do it all.

Tell us about some of your achievements.
Artist's Magazine Competition Honorable Mention, Permanent art collections of Island hospital, Skagit Valley Hospital, Anacortes City library, Featured artist at LaConner's annual Art's Alive festival, Selected for juried art shows multiple years at Anacortes Arts Festival, Edmonds Art Festival,  Schack Art Center and others, Open Studio Tour participant each year, Numerous local and international collectors, Shown in 6 Washington galleries.

Mist in the Forest

"Collectors often say they choose my work because of how it makes them feel - cheerful, or peaceful, or optimistic. Perhaps it reminds them of a familiar place in their life."

March Point Marsh

Gently Flowing Stream

"It's not surprising that nature provides my favorite subject matter. Inspiration is everywhere."

Rare Hare

Bandit

What is your studio like?
My small studio proves that you don't need a huge space to produce good art. When I started painting, I cleared an area in one end of my architectural office, added an easel, cabinets, and layout table, and I was all set to paint. By working on only a couple of paintings at a time, I don't need a lot of space. Paintings hang all around my house, with extra canvases and frames stored in the attic. It's simple, but it works well for me.

Do you collect the work of other artists?
We bought our first original painting 50 years ago and it's still a favorite. Being more aware of art now that I am a painter, I like to support other local artists by purchasing their work and displaying it throughout our home. And being avid birdwatchers, we love our growing collection of bird sculptures.

"As an artist, I can express my own ideas freely.  I can be whimsical or serious, exuberant or melancholy, painting any subject I choose, or no subject at all."

Dawn on the Marsh

Winter Branches

Tell us about some of the feedback you typically receive from people that discover your work.
Collectors often say they choose my work because of how it makes them feel - cheerful, or peaceful, or optimistic. Perhaps it reminds them of a familiar place in their life such as a barn on their grandparents' farm, or a favorite childhood pet or a vacation destination. In return, it makes me feel good when someone likes my work enough to purchase it and take it into their home.  What can be better than that?

What are you currently working on?
Trees have been favorite subjects for years, whether in dense forests or standing alone in solitary majesty. Recently I've been painting a series of various types of trees silhouetted on stark white canvas. Each tree species grows in particular environments, with distinctive patterns of trunks, branches, flowers and leaves or needles. Within any given species, each tree is a unique individual, and I like to think of these tree paintings as "portraits" of those individuals. Starting with detailed observations and photos of many individual trees, I combine details to create "tree portraits" that capture the essence of a tree's character. Another type of "portraiture" that I enjoy is capturing the personalities of birds and animals. Some are domestic, others are wild and free, but each has its own character.

Cynthia Richardson studio

Cynthia Richardson home

"For me, it's the simple pleasures of painting, increasing my skills, and creating images that never existed before."

What can we look forward to in the near- future, what directions will you be exploring?
Working as an architect for four decades has been a creative career. But budgets, client preferences, building codes, contractors, and other factors constrain an architect's creativity. As an artist, I can express my own ideas freely. I can be whimsical or serious, exuberant or melancholy, painting any subject I choose, or no subject at all. And I'm no longer limited to drawing mostly straight lines. So who knows where this exploration will lead me next?

How does your location influence on your work?
Living in a small coastal town northwest of Seattle, I am surrounded every day by the beauty of the natural environment. There are so many lovely scenes to paint - glorious sunsets over the San Juans, majestic mountain peaks, fertile farmlands, quiet marshes, rushing rivers, cliffs, beaches, forests, clouds - the possibilities are endless. So it's not surprising that nature provides my favorite subject matter. Inspiration is everywhere. The challenge is how to choose among so many amazing subjects. My paintings often interpret what I see around me. Sometimes it's a wide expanse of sky, sea, farmland or forest. Other times it's a smaller detail - a bird, tree, flower, or small animal. Choosing the subject might depend on my mood, or a technique I'd like to try, or a theme I want to explore. Sometimes I just make things up. I think of my approach as "relaxed realism".

Nobody's Home

Lakeside Overlook

"Some people create art to make a political statement or challenge our perceptions. Others to relieve anxiety. All of these have validity. For me, it's the simple pleasures of painting, increasing my skills, and creating images that never existed before."

How do you feel about art and its role in the world today?
Art plays many roles for society and for individuals - grand museums and sculpture parks, graffiti, murals, painters in every medium, children's scribbles, daily journal sketchers, photographers, whittlers, glass artists, jewelers, and more. Some people create art to make a political statement or challenge our perceptions. Others to relieve anxiety. All of these have validity. For me, it's the simple pleasures of painting, increasing my skills, and creating images that never existed before.

What has the Covid pandemic meant to you and how has it influenced your creativity?
Luckily, I recovered from a mild case of Covid and can continue painting in my home studio. I look forward to painting with friends again, and participating in galleries and festivals.


www.cynthiarichardsonart.com