Richey
by Michele Malinchak
The whimsical skeletons dance on the paper in bright crayon colors, all smiling yet distinctive in their expressions. Their creator was only six at the time, but today Bob Richey values his first attempt at art as much as any of his current works. His childhood passion for creating art never waned even during his 25-year career as an aerospace engineer. “My art has been woven into my everyday activities—it’s always there as a part of my life,” he said.
Mainly self-taught, he painted in watercolor for many years before discovering soft pastels, his medium of choice. He relies on his powers of observation to portray ordinary subjects in a novel way, often returning to certain places to see them in a different light or angle. His small format landscapes enable him to quickly capture the essence of a particular moment and allow him to explore many compositions. He is fast and prolific, typically completing a painting in two hours.
Composition and color are key elements in his work. “Overall subject matter is not as important as the overall relationship of shapes, color and values,” he said. “I think about my pictures in an abstract manner even though the end result is fairly realistic.”
Shadows and reflections are often key elements in his work, such as Little Bridge at Pond’s Edge, a restful scene he painted from historic Graeme Park in Horsham, PA. In the painting, reflections from the trees and sky are mirrored in the water with bold dashes of green and blue.
All of his paintings are done in his studio; however, he does quick sketches while sitting in his car and also takes photos for reference. His intent is not to copy what the camera sees, in fact, his finished piece is often strikingly different from the original photo.
A significant event impacted the way Bob seeks out his subject matter. In 2012 his son, Bob III, suffered a severe spinal cord injury while swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. During trips with him to Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia, Bob learned to look for inspiration in places he never considered before.
He’s taken unlikely subjects like city loading docks, abandoned buildings and dumpsters transforming them into dynamic works of art. “I used to drive around looking for inspiration,” he said, “but now I find it wherever I might be.”
Before doing a pastel Bob starts with a charcoal concept sketch that helps him plan the composition and determine light and dark values. The pastels are applied to textured paper with a sanded finish, and he often lets small flecks of the of the paper show through the painting.
Starting with the sky, he tends to work from the top down, building layers and texture with little dabs of color. He calls his approach very ad-libbed. “Each pastel I complete is a small lesson and helps build the foundation for future efforts.”
Depending on the subject matter, some pastels are smoothly blended while others are more roughly done. “I feel that I have more than one style of working,” he said. “My urban scenes tend to be more roughly done since the scene itself is often a gritty one.”
Bob grew up in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia and loved to draw from an early age. As a teenager he drew intricate monsters using colored ballpoint pens and was inspired by an uncle who painted. He was encouraged by his parents who were also artistic and recalls his grandmother taking him to a restaurant where paintings decorated the walls. “After we finished eating,” he said, “I used to walk around and look at each one, taking time to study them.”
Art was a major interest but so was science. Growing up in the 1960s Bob was intrigued by our country’s space race with the Soviet Union. “I always watched those launches from Cape Canaveral of the Project Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions.” Even being a Star Trek fan swayed him to study aerospace engineering instead of art. “When I signed up for the program I really thought I’d be going to Mars someday,” he said.
After graduating from Penn State University with a B.S. degree in aerospace engineering, he joined the U.S. Army because of a low draft number. He was stationed in Baumholder, Germany from 1971-1973. “This turned out to be a very good experience for me,” he said. His commanding officer recognized Bob’s artistic talent and had him paint signs around the barracks which freed him from more mundane tasks.
Also, while in Europe his interest in art was rekindled by visiting many of the great museums. Once he got home he decided to try his hand at art on a part time basis. Right after his service abroad he was hired by the Naval Air Development Center in Warminster, PA where he spent 25 years designing and analyzing aircraft structures like the F18 and F14 for the U.S. Navy.
At the same time he started working, he took an evening course in watercolor at a local high school and began painting on his own. He also studied with several prominent watercolor artists and within a year entered his first show and sold a watercolor. “This was very exciting for me and I became a very serious part time artist for the next 23 years.”
He switched from watercolor to soft pastels in 1989. Though he dreamed of doing art full time, it would remain a dream for quite some time. When it was announced that the base would close in 1996, his dream of becoming an artist was now within reach. “I started working really hard at my artwork, often working on my pastels before going to work.”
When the base closed Bob was able to retire early and devote himself full time to his art. Since then he has sold more than 5,000 paintings and has won numerous awards at both the regional and national levels.
He’s also included in the James A. Michener Art Museum’s data base of Bucks County Artists and was featured in the book, Artists of the River Towns by Doris Brandes, 2002.
Despite his success, he remains down to earth and unassuming about his talent. “I’m not profound about my art—I just really like what I do.”
He admires the work of contemporary artist Stuart Shils and also Edward Hopper and the French Impressionists. In addition, he was inspired by the book, “Being An Artist” by Lewis Lehman, 1992, which chronicled the careers of 20 artists. Though he’d been exhibiting his work for years, the book gave Bob the extra confidence needed to make that final leap in realizing his dream of being a full-time artist.
One artist in the book, Austin Deuel, gave advice on art production and marketing that has stayed with Bob to this day: “Paint ‘em, pack ‘em and peddle ‘em!” Bob also does all of his own matting and framing, enabling him to minimize the cost of his work.
Another artist who made a big impression on him was the late plein air painter Paul Strisik whom he met in the late 1970s at his Rockport, MA, home and studio. When Bob asked him how he could become a better artist, Paul replied, “To get good, cover a lot of paper.”
“It made me realize that hard work is more important in realizing a dream than just having some inborn talent,” Bob said. “That trip to Rockport was very influential on setting in my mind the goal of eventually becoming a full-time artist myself.”
Bob and his wife Linda live in Warminster with their four adopted black cats. When not doing weekend art shows, the couple enjoys training for and participating in local triathlons. In addition to Bob III, they have another son, Andrew. Since his accident Bob III has graduated with two master’s degrees and now drives a modified vehicle.
Though he’s represented by galleries, Bob enjoys going on the road to sell his paintings at various art festivals. Each year in Philadelphia for the past 40 years he has participated in the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show, the oldest outdoor art show in the country. Other shows include the Central PA Festival of the Arts at State College, Doylestown Art Festival and the New Hope Arts and Crafts Festival.
His paintings can also be seen at Artefact at the Village Barn in Furlong, PA and at the Church Street Gallery in West Chester, PA. Visit his website, bobricheypastels.com to see more of his work, including his early skeleton drawing.
After years of practicing his art, he still relishes the freedom of expression it offers him. He is continually grateful and appreciative of his patrons and especially for his wife’s support. Apart from the creative process, Bob likes the longevity of his work—the notion that he can achieve a bit of immortality knowing his paintings may be handed down for many generations.
Michele Malinchak is a freelance writer and avid gardener from Quakertown, PA.