EVOLVING THROUGH THE YEARS
Richard deeply admired and appreciated the Danish aesthetic. He furnished his New York City apartment in this style while collecting broader Scandinavian tchotchkes. On a buying trip in 1961 he laid eyes upon a "stunning and perfect" Finnish woman at Copenhagen's Tivoli.
Richard of Manhattan and Helena of Helsinki fell in love and married in 1963 in New York after corresponding for a couple of years. It was time to pivot his career. Richard was starting a family, a responsibility he took seriously. He began teaching commercial art at the vocational New York City public high school, Art & Design, the same year he wed. He also taught at the City University of New York (C.U.N.Y.). For nearly 30 years, Richard mentored students and opened doors for talented inner-city youth.
But the romantic painter never stopped practicing hyper-realism. His bedroom was his studio where he continued to paint on canvas with an easel. He challenged himself to reproduce the beauty around him, which included the family he started. His special talent involved capturing and reproducing the details, such like creases in his hand's knuckle or the sparkly twinkle in his child's eye.
Later in life he struggled to produce prolifically as his health waned. He passed away in 2014, not very far from where he was born in Manhattan.
Richard in his faculty photo. Richard smiling for the camera. With his son at an A&D Field Day. Richard enjoying a casual day. Richard posing for a photoshoot. Richard in his signature smock. At Jones Beach with his dog, Betsy. Richard relaxing at home. Richard with his son Jonathan. Richard with his wife Helena. Richard posing with both of his children. Richard enjoying a snowy day in New York City. Richard with his students at the Art & Design High School in 1974.