Richard Hellman   

 

Originally from the Bronx, NY, I grew up on Long Island where I was surrounded by my dad’s collection of original prints (etchings, lithographs, and woodcuts)  that he acquired from the 1940s-'70s.  Although his personal sensibility to art was quite different from mine, "Thanks Dad."

 
"As a kid, there were many visits to the beaches to play in the sand and in the ocean. The power of the "under-tow" of the waves could only be understood by experiencing it. To paint a picture of turbulent water gives a hint, but doesn't really "get under the surface" of things. 

It is the "under the surface" that I am interested in, and for me, it is best expressed by the relationships of forms and the marks themselves.  Paradoxically, I feel that the way to understand reality is through abstraction.

 

From 2011-2019, I shifted my concentration to making three dimensional carvings of animals, reliving my fascination with animal forms that were such a major part of my early prints in the 1970's (Magic Forest series). I choose beautifully grained woods like walnut, mahogany, butternut, cypress, cherry, and catalpa and work in a style that emphasizes the sculptural form of the shapes and wood grain, rather than painting on all the detail. Again, the interaction of the prominent wood grain + the recognition of the particular animal creates a unique experience for the viewer. Now, I am revisiting the Magic Forest series, reworking the plates and experimenting with the viscosity printing process!

 

 

EDUCATION

BFA Syracuse University
MFA Northern Illinois University

 
Study with David Driesbach, Krishna Reddy, Don Cortese, Hanlyn Davies, Robert Bornheutter, Robert Kabak, Dorothea Bilder, Gordon  Dorn.

INFLUENCES OF OTHER ARTISTS: 

Hanlyn Davies, Krishna Reddy, Stanley Hayter; Wassily Kandinsky, Kasimir Malevich, Paul Gauguin, Franz Marc, Miro, Oedilon Redon, Picasso, Al Held

 

SOME PERSONAL HIGHLIGHTS

TEACHING

Taught printmaking courses & workshops at: Towson University, Maryland Institute College of Art, University of Maryland College Park, Loyola College of Maryland, University of Maryland Baltimore County, and Pyramid Atlantic Art Center

 

COLLECTIONS:

  • University of Maryland University College, Adelphi, MD
  • Hunterdon Museum of Art, Clinton, NJ
  • Bryn Mawr College, Tri-College Collection, PA
  • National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
  • Pharmaceutics International, HuntValley
  • Southern Graphics Council Permanent Print Study Collection
  • Graphic Chemical & Ink Collection
  • Weinberg and Green Collection
  • LoyolaCollege of Maryland
  • Arkansas State University
  • LaGrange College, GA
  • Quincy Illinois School System
  • Tulsa, Okla. City-County Library
  • Hillcrest Medical Center, Tulsa, Okla
  • Many Private Collections

 

 PRIZES

  • Second Prize - 2013 Maryland State Fair, Home Arts Competition: Woodcarving, Fish or Animal Catagory.
  • Cash Award - ARTLINK Contemporary Art Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN., 29th Annual National Juried Print Exhibition 2009. Juror: Mary Brodbeck
  •  Hunterdon Art Museum Purchase Prize - Hunterdon Museum of Art, Clinton, New Jersey, 2006. 50th Annual National Juried Print Exhibition, Juried by Judith Brodsky (Rutgers Center for Innovative Printmaking), Kristin Henning (Pace Gallery), and Nona Hershey (Mass college of Art).
  • Awarded 2nd Prize - Touchstone Gallery, Washington, DC, 2004. "Original Prints" Regional Juried Exhibition; Juror: Susan Goldman.
  • Awarded one of two BEST in SHOWS - Maryland Federation of Art, MFA Circle Gallery, Annapolis, MD, 2002. Small Prints Big Impressions; Juror: B.G. Muhn, Georgetown University.
  • Arkansas State University Purchase Prize - Arkansas State University, Bradley Gallery, 2001. 6th Delta National Small Prints Exhibition; Juror: Daniel Piersol, curator


 

© Richard Hellman. FolioLink © Kodexio ™ 2023
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