From Willie Nelson to Willy Wonka ...The Art of Richards

Robert E. Richards knows how to have fun on canvas. His paintings, teeming with pop-culture references, are like Cyndi Lauper's girls: They just want to have fun.

Currently showing at the Norbertellen Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles with another exhibit opening there Feb. 5, Richards put down his brushes and tubes of oil paint long enough to chat with PaliPatch.

Pacific Palisades Patch: What medium are the pieces you sent me in and what year were they painted? 

Robert E. Richards: "The paintings that I sent you were all painted in 2010 and are oil on canvas. The self portrait is acrylic on canvas and from 2009. I switched to oils last summer.

Patch: Your paintings are pretty whimsical and pop culture oriented. What determines what will become a subject for your painting? Are the musicians, actors, movies you paint personal to you, entertainment you enjoy?

Richards: Yes, I choose my subjects for my paintings based on people that have inspired me creatively or spiritually either through their music, movies, or their lives. I choose subjects that will hopefully entertain my audience, but ultimately I have to be moved in some way by them in order for the final product to be something I am happy with. I also try to infuse an element of humor in each one.

Patch: If I remember correctly, you grew up in the Palisades but now live elsewhere. Where are you based these days and what do you do when you're not painting?

Richards: My parents had lived in Pacific Palisades since the early '50s. My sister still lives there with her family. I have worked and lived in my home studio in West L.A. for seven years. When I am not painting I am planning my next painting! I paint at night because I find it much more conducive to creativity. As both a painter and a musician I have worked exclusively at night. As well as being an artist I have also been a musician in local bands for many years. I like to read, watch movies, play golf and skateboard when I'm not working.

Patch: Can you share a few things about growing up in Pacific Palisades— what part of town and what kind of a household did you grow up in? How did you gravitate toward painting?

Richards: I loved growing up in Pacific Palisades! I had a great childhood. We lived on the bluffs at the end of Via De La Paz. My Dad owned Barrington Hardware in Brentwood. It was a true family business. We all worked there at one time or another. I had a lot of friends in the neighborhood and we would climb and hike and build forts in the canyons, skateboard and surf and ride our Schwinn dirt bikes and try to stay out of too much trouble. We'd hang out in the village and go to the Hobby Shop and the Bay Theater and The Hotdog Show and The Park. I remember all of those places like it was yesterday. I also spent a lot of time drawing. Looking back I think this was a way to express myself because I was a shy kid. Ever since I could hold a pencil I was a prolific little artist. When the mail would drop through the mail slot at our house I would crawl over with my crayon and draw my little characters all over each piece of mail. "Fresh paper delivered daily!" My family was surprised by my early abilities. My dad was a talented artist when he was young, but his father didn't approve so he let it go. My grandmother, who we called "Gaga," gave me the most encouragement and always said I would grow up to be an artist. She had lunch with Walt Disney once in the '50s.

Our house was on Mount Holyoke Avenue and had the greatest view of scenic beauty possibly in the world right at the end of our street. We spent a lot of time at what we called "The Point," which was a large vacant lot on a cliff that overlooked the ocean. Recently our family had my brother's funeral service there and released his ashes at his favorite place.

Patch: How did your years in the Palisades inform you as an artist?

Richards: At Palisades Elementary, Paul Revere and Pali High I was often one of the class artists that was asked to work on various art projects from murals to program or flier designs to caricatures of teachers or classmates. I even designed an award winning cake once. I also drew quite a bit at the hardware store. I would often draw detailed drawings of various hardware or household items to describe to a customer or a vendor what I was talking about. I also drew the customers and our employees. I went to animation school in the '90s and had to take nightly live figure drawing classes. This has helped me more with my painting today than anything else. I drew a lot of quick sketch pencil drawings and the fluidity and ease of the quick sketch is what I'm still shooting for now in my paintings. I sort of see what I do as not too far removed from animation. I am trying to convey a story (actually an entire movie) in just one frame. That's why I like to be as expressive as possible in the eyes of my characters.

Patch: What are you currently working on? 

Richards: I am currently working on my ongoing series titled Musicians. This was featured in my show last summer, Rock Rebellion at The Hangar Gallery in Santa Monica. I also am continuing to explore my surrealistic paintings. This is a direction I will be focusing on more in 2011. I'll also continue my work in custom portraiture and illustration.

Since switching from acrylic to oil this year it has changed the way I paint. I now use Winsor and Newton Oilbars and R&F Pigment Sticks. They are like big crayons so I'm not using brushes as much anymore, only for the details. I feel this is taking the paintings in a more expressive direction rather than being static as some earlier paintings may have been.

Patch: What’s coming up next?

Richards: My next show is called Infini Couleur Group Exhibition at Norbertellen Gallery www.norbertellengallery.com. It opens Feb. 5 and runs through March 26. Opening reception is Saturday Feb. 5 6 to 10 p.m. It's free and everyone is welcome.

I can be found online, of course. My website is www.RERichardsArt.com and I also can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

I am currenty showing at Norbertellen Gallery in downtown L.A. Located at 6th and Spring, they are part of Downtown ArtWalk. My first night at the gallery last September we had over 1,200 people attend, so it's nice to see such a thriving art scene right now in L.A.