Biography
Richard Blackmore was born in Wooster Ohio in 1954. He has since an early age shown an interest in drawing and painting. During his childhood his family moved to different places a number of times, finally remaining for the longest time in suburban Maryland. It was in Maryland where he went of John F. Kennedy High school and graduated in 1972. J.F.K. was an experimental high school which encouraged art, creativity and learning. About the time that he graduated from high school, his family relocated to New Mexico and rather than moving with his family, Richard remained in Maryland and took art classes at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. During this time Richard also worked to support himself and prefering to work outdoors, he worked at a garden center. The class work at Montgomery College included painting. drawing, printmaking and classes in mathematics, literature and psychology as well. At this school there were 2 instructors who encouraged him to apply for a scholarship to the art program at American University in Washington DC. He applied for and received a scholarship and with the additional help of a sutdent loan, was able to earn a B.F.A. degree in studio art from that school. The art philosophy at A.U. stressed a classical approach to the art of drawing and painting, and most of the lessons were taught around the figure in it's space. The school also had a strong art history department.
After leaving A.U. Richard rented space in a lithography studio that was established and ran by a man named Scip Barnhardt and with this man's recommendation, secured a job in the printmaking department at the Corcoran School of Art managing the printshop. Because he was curious about sign work, building and painting signs and because he had difficulties with the academic environment he left this job and went to work for a sign firm, Art Display Company. At the same time he rented space in a building occupied by artists at 57 N st. Much of the work shown on this web site were possible because of Scip's lithography studio and the space on N st.
In the year 2000 Richard bought a house in one of the neighborhoods near the studio. Before doing this he was more active in the Washington art community with his work included in a number of shows. Richard still likes classical art and working with the figure. He attends life drawing sessions at Hillyer Arts Place and works on painting at his home. In the future, Richard hopes to continue oil painting but also to explore the world of digital animation and printing, hoping to merge the worlds of drawing with computer technology.
