Richard was born and raised in Yorkshire, where his upbringing on the family farm had a huge impact on his future work. Much of his free time was spent observing the birds, butterflies & animals he found in the countryside around the farm. He even had a pet magpie called 'Spike' who slept on his bed head and hid silver bottle tops in his shoes. His love of wildlife stems from this early age and has developed and grown with time.
Entirely self-taught, he began painting at the age of five, sold his first piece of work when he was only thirteen and held his first exhibition in 1977 aged fourteen. He also exhibited with the Society of Wildlife Artists in London in 1985 aged 22 and then shortly after became a professional artist.
In his teens he bred Pheasants, Quail, Ducks and Finches and birds remain his first love. The RSPB have commissioned him to produce images for their Christmas Cards since 2001 and his cards have been best sellers on numerous occassions.. |
