Richard Schilling

Click images to see artist's work.

Richard's work is a wonderful fulfillment of Andrew Wyeth's quote: "A man can only paint that which he knows even more than intimately -- he has got to know it spiritually."

Richard Schilling's love affair with watercolor began when he was chosen to receive instruction in the medium at the University of Nebraska while a student in junior high school. His first acceptance into a juried art exhibit was at the age of 13. Richard has been painting his heart out ever since.

A graduate of the University of Nebraska, Richard and his wife now reside in Loveland, Colorado, a city known for its commitment to the arts. His paintings demonstrate and emphasize the effects of light. He says, "Watercolor did not come easily for me...it was a tough task master." Yet, years of practice and persistence have brought maturity and freshness to his watercolors.

Roderick Clark in Rosebud magazine writes of Richard: "If we step into this art easily, it is because few barriers have been placed in our way. Nothing is deliberately concealed. The door to what is beautiful or difficult is left ajar, waiting for us to step through. If his sensibility is open, so is his technique. Schilling is an expert in 'plein air', or outdoor watercolor technique. Just as he is fond of real experience, with no barriers between himself and the landscapes and people around him, Schilling is drawn to the immediacy and engagement that plein air offers him." Watercolor reveals the humanness, the frailties, and faults of the artist. Mistakes are difficult to change. While trying to convey an artistic interpretation, Richard says that he must be somewhat transparent himself -- revealing both his flaws and his successes.

Richard teaches courses in watercolor for the traveling artist and writes articles for art magazines. His work as a volunteer in several developing countries has provided many opportunities for painting on location around the world.

Richard's book Watercolor Journeys! is not only instructional in that he teaches you how to prepare and paint as you travel, it's also inspiational as he shares his personal experiences during his own journeys.

Richard has published both limited edition and open edition prints. His work has appeared in numerous one-artist shows and invitation exhibitions including the

• Rotary Club of Amarillo Art Exhibition (an eight-year participant)
• Colorado Governor's Invitational Art Show (a five-year participant)

• Southwest Art magazine
• Contemporary Western Artists by Peggy and Harold Samuels
• Watercolor magazine published
• Decision magazine
• Rosebud literary magazine
• The Kalenjiin Heritage

• "Coping with Colorblindness" The Artist's Magazine, March 1994
• "Drawing from Vacation Experiences," Art Revue, Winter 1994
• "Journey Into My Heart," Worldwide Challenge magazine, November 1995
• "Graduation Day at Empaash," The Rotarian magazine, June 1996