Cameron Richards is a self-taught emerging artist from Perth, Western Australia who was announced as the 1st Place Winner in the 3rd Edition of the Boynes Emerging Artist Award. Working as a full-time physiotherapist, some of Richards’ spare time is spent immersed in portrait painting. Whilst both his day job and passion for art are fixated on people, he describes portraiture as an opportunity to engage with people in a completely different realm of reflection. Working between acrylic and oils, his work alludes to aspects of his subject’s life events and story, attempting to maintaining strong likeness to his sitters.

What inspired you to begin creating art?

I have been creating art since I was very young. Starting with Pencils I was fascinated by sea creatures and various stories of mythology, they really captured my imagination and excited me; that I could re-create these crazy looking creatures. I would spend hours and hours copying photos and drawings of crabs, lobsters, sharks, dragons etc. Over the years they began looking more and more realistic and 3 dimensional, which I found incredibly satisfying. This obsession continued through pre-school to Primary School but once I hit high school I started drawing my friends, and it was the first time I was able to produce a likeness to someone I knew. After this point I didn't stray too far from portraiture. It wasn't until 4 years ago I started painting, but by that time I had developed my patience and a standard that I would just keep chipping away at until it was "there".

What is the inspiration behind your current work?

I really am inspired by people and the individual stories, marvels, triumphs and challenges each person has endured. I am a very open minded person and have the tendency to be accepting of people over judging them. I think this fascination has deepened since starting my career as a physiotherapist. I meet new people every day and usually spend quite a long time with them over the course of helping them with their injury. With this exposure I find it fascinating watching my initial impression of a person change as my understanding of their story deepens. Some people are just very intriguing, perhaps with their "look", perhaps their story or perhaps both. This is usually the basis for wanting to paint them.

What mediums do you work with?

I started with graphite pencil on paper, then moved onto acrylic on canvas - before then moving onto experimenting with some different fast drying mediums and this year have started oil on canvas as well as a combination of acrylic and oil on canvas.

How do you overcome a creative block?

I am always craving my artwork, because I only have fleeting opportunities to create. So for me I have more ideas than I have time to work with. So I feel I have replaced the problem of creative block with another.

What advice do you have for fellow artists?

I have learnt throughout my practice that it is possible to be satisfied and have pride in your work whilst also being critical and enabling self development. When you arrive at this place it is calming and truly allows you to celebrate your work and the work of others.

How do you manage the need for perfection in your work?

I definitely used to be a perfectionist in the sense of deliberately holding dissatisfaction in my work until I reached what I considered to be my "original idea". I thought by doing this I would be more disciplined and create better work. In reality all this meant is most of the time I was fairly frustrated and self deprecating in my work. What I realised is I actually achieved my best work by taking my time with my work, working on different pieces at one time and exposing myself to artists I found inspiring. It had nothing to do with getting down on myself, which was very freeing and far more enjoyable.

How do you process and use other’s opinions of your work?

I process criticism differently depending on where it comes from. I am thoughtful in what I produce and what I am trying to achieve with my pieces. If I receive criticism during an exhibition, I examine it with an open mind and determine whether it resonates with what I am trying to achieve and the direction I want to go. When I am struggling to find direction in my work or determine whether I have captured an idea well - I reach out for criticism from people who I know will be honest! This allows me not to get too emotional about the opinions but still keep an open mind and have the opportunity to grow. Sometimes this is tough when you've put a lot of time an effort into something.

Who are the artists that inspire you?

I have a lot of artists that inspire me for various reasons. Andrew Tischler - his work is representational landscapes are beautiful, intricate and he has worked incredibly hard to achieve all he has within his career. Kathrin Longhurst - Her work is so conceptually and aesthetically strong, whilst being able to be incredibly prolific. Lori Pensini - She again is another prolific artist who tells a beautiful narrative with each piece and her broad collection of work. She is also incredibly humble, whose success is inspiring.

To view more of Cameron Richards’ work

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