2023, NOVEMBER – DAR RICHARDSON

 

What material(s) do you use in your sculptures?
“In the past I’ve used wood, ceramic clay, paper clay, under glazes, glazes.
Currently I use Styrofoam, mesh, cement, resins, plexiglass, glass, fused stained glass, tile mosaic. “

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is your primary forming method?
“With wood, I used hand carving tools. With clay, I used coil, pinch, and slab. With my current method, I carve the Styrofoam shapes, coat them with mesh and cement, then cover that with mixed media mosaics.”

What is your favorite surface treatment?
“Way back when I was carving wooden caricatures, I used acrylics, but kept it thin so the wood grain and rough irregular texture would show through. Then when I was sculpting in ceramic clay, I tried different glazing styles, but preferred a multi-fire method using multiple color glazes to accentuate the details in a similar way. Lately, I prefer the bright colors and textures of fused stained glass and other mixed media.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are your favorite Tools?
“hot knife, ceramic carving tools, almost anything.”

Describe your studio environment.
“A well-lit room with workbenches, light table, glass kiln, and shelves full of materials and tools.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How/Where do you market and sell your artwork?
“Before I retired from industry, I’d sit my wood carvings on my desk, and they just caught on with co-workers. Over the years since, I’ve shown and sold mostly through outdoor arts fairs, garden centers, galleries, annual small town sculpture exhibits, and TSOS group exhibits like the Georgetown Public Library, Wildflower Center and even Umlauf. I’d say show your work wherever you can. You never know when someone’s going to see one of your pieces and decide they can’t live without it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What sparks your creativity? What drives you to create?
“Mainly ideas and things that amuse me is what sparks my creativity. Creating is a positive and constructive way to use your mind.”

Did you come to sculpture from a different career? Tell us about your journey to becoming a sculptor.
“I spent most of my career years working in industry in corporations such as McDonald Douglas, Boeing, and Baker Hughes. Back in the early 1970s I happened on to a wood carvers museum in Colorado that offered $10 classes. I signed up and then really got into it. Wood carving was the kind of thing I could do in my spare time, even including when sitting in airports waiting for a business flight. Many years later, in the early 2000s, I discovered TSOS on Austin Museum day at the Umlauf and learned about classes available at the sculpture center and school (it’s no longer there) that was next to the Eliaabet Ney Museum. There I tried classes in polymer clay, cement, and ceramic clay. Since then, I’ve taken classes at Laguna Gloria, Atelier 3D, Sleeping Dog, Southwest School of Art, and Beth Schoen studio, etc. and practiced even more.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How have you have taken your experience as a well-established maker in the field and passed that knowledge along to other artists?
“I’ve helped work with students at places like the School for the Blind, the Rock. I’ve taught classes at 8^th Street Studios and Sun City Ceramics Club. I’ve worked with a couple individual sculptors in my studio, whole groups of young kids in elementary school classrooms and boy scouts’ jamborees and given demonstrations at numerous TSOS exhibit events. My favorite is working with kids.”

What’s the best advice you’ve been given by a fellow maker, mentor, or teacher?
“James Tisdale. Besides giving me some helpful building and glazing advice, he said “You can slow down, sculpting is not a horse race.””

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TSOS Member Profile:  Dar Richardson

Website URL: www.tsos.org/member-directory/#!biz/id/646bd9e061c18b623a5c4ff3

Bio:
Dar Richardson ventured into figurative sculpture decades ago, creating caricature woodcarvings. He recently began learning and sculpting in other media: cement, terra-cotta clay, glass, etc. Dar’s work is light-hearted and whimsical. If his creations put a smile on your face, it’s both reward and encouragement. The intent is to have fun and employ a sense of humor in art and life.

Dar’s work can currently be seen at the on Main Street in Round Rock, on Main Street in Jewett, at the Georgetown Library, and at Righteous Cat Studio. Dar has exhibited with the Leon County Art Trail in Jewett, Sculpture on Main in Marble Falls, Round Rock ArtSpace, Austin Playhouse, Austin Galleries, the Crossings, the Wildflower Center, and Sacred Art Galleries in Austin, as well as at the Live Oak Art Center in Columbus and at Flat Creek Estates Winery in Marble Falls.