Richard Salter
Richard joined the Army aged 16, and works as a Communications Systems Engineer responsible for Telecommunications Systems within the Army. During his last tour of duty in Afghanistan he decided to pick up a paintbrush and captured his emotional response to the experience. His work was entered for War Artist of the Year - and he was awarded runner-up. This recognition reignited Richard鈥檚 desire to be an artist and is very keen to continue this as a career when he leaves the Army. Whilst acrylic and oil are his favourite medium to work with, Richard also enjoys charcoal and given the nature of his training, he likes to study his subject in depth and then spend months creating work in his studio. Whilst this is likely to be a bonus it certainly won鈥檛 be an advantage in the quick draw challenges, he very rarely paints en plein air, so the landscape challenge could prove interesting. With passion for painting running in the family, Richard regularly gives his daughter painting lessons - and his coaching is paying off as she has just won her first painting competition at school.
Q&A
What first inspired you to get into painting?
My grandmother was a very talented portrait painter so I think the seed of creativity was planted very early on in my childhood. I first started painting seriously in my early 20s, creating colourful abstract work. I had the urge to push colour around a canvas with yummy textures and balance each piece through natural instinct.
What piece of your own artwork are you most proud of?
There is one painting that I sold to a collector in Plymouth in 2012 that I wish I could buy back. It was entitled “Lost Moments” and was a self-portrait that hinted at those precious family moments I had missed whilst away on operations - it really tugs on the heart strings. The owner kindly drove it across the country to display it in my 2013 exhibition, it was then that I realised it was one of my favorites.
Have you had any artistic disasters? Were you able to learn anything from that?
Mistakes and disasters are all part of that artistic journey; I see them as stepping stones to success. I regularly discard around one third of my work as they don’t live up to my high standards, I have very strict rules as to what I allow to leave my studio - a discipline I had to leave at home for the painting challenges!
What was it like being critiqued by Lachlan and Daphne 鈥� what did you learn most from their weekly feedback?
The painting challenges were far from my usual practice. I paint a marathon; the judges gave us a painting sprint, coupled with a subject and materials I didn’t choose - the word challenge was an understatement! I’m really much more at home in my studio with unlimited weeks of preparation, planning and layers of oil paint in that endless pursuit of creating a great painting.
Which artist(s) has inspired you the most?
Most of my artistic inspiration comes from life, in all my work I like to experience or witness an event and then paint my emotional response.
Quick questions鈥�
Landscape or portraiture? Portraiture.
Acrylic, oil or watercolour for painting? Oil.
Pencil or ink for sketching? Pencil.
Still life or life drawing? Life.
Lachlan or Daphne? Daphne.
