Artists to Watch | Johne Richardson

The language of art

Johne Richardson is enamored with the allure of the West, and he faithfully heeds his inner call to paint it. Growing up on the prairie, the Kansas-based artist translates on canvas his lifelong fascination for big skies, wide-open spaces, and the riveting sight of cowboys herding cattle. The array of subjects—landscapes, animals, and portraits—attests to the breadth of Richardson’s creative spirit that finds ready inspiration in the nearby rolling Flint Hills. Yet, he also canvases compelling scenes as far distant as the West Coast.

“The reason I paint is to capture the emotional and visual significance of a subject,” Richardson says. “When a subject strikes me as so incredible and beautiful, I have to paint it.” Whether it’s the sunlight playfully caressing a cowboy’s hat brim or a glowing orange- and violet-tinted sunset, the quality of light is paramount. “Light is incredibly significant for creating mood,” observes the artist. “I like more dramatic light and those shapes formed by cast shadows.”

Likewise, Richardson’s palette of bright, pure colors and his bold impasto mark-making—a technique he has confidently honed—serve to energize his often-large-scale paintings that extol the West’s iconic attributes. His stunning oil, PRECIPICE, with its lone figure set amid the Grand Canyon’s picturesque vastness, showcases the light and color, along with the evocative and challenging aspects of a subject that motivate Richardson to paint.

Prior to oils, the artist painted in watercolor for three decades. Having earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration from the University of Kansas, he worked as a long-time successful illustrator and then taught college-level painting classes before becoming a full-time artist. Settling on his western theme, Richardson segued briefly to acrylics and then to oils, which best convey his creative vision. In 2020, he won the Silver Medal in the Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition.

As Richardson’s star rises, he remains rooted in an authentic response, focused on capturing “an intensely personal, and fleeting, moment or mood,” he says. “When I paint something, it’s about seeking out the character of that person or place. My goal is to learn about and express its language, balanced with my own artistic interpretation through an accumulation of marks.” —Christine Proskow

representation
Anticus Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ; FoR Fine Art, Tucson, AZ, Bigfork, MT, Whitefish, MT; Rice Gallery, Overland Park, KS; www.johnerichardsonstudio.com.

This story appeared in the February/March 2023 issue of Southwest Art magazine.