Richard Brandon (a
studio name for artist
Richard Hall) was born
in 1952 in Bradford,
Yorkshire, the
industrial heart of
northern England. He
attended both the
Sheffield College of Art
and the Kingston-upon-Hull
College of Art,
receiving his Bachelor
of Fine Arts in Painting
in 1976. After earning
his Master of Fine Arts
from Sussex University,
he left England for
warmer climates, ending
up in the Southwest
United States where he
pursued the arts of
painting and sculpture.
In addition to creating
his own artwork, he has
worked as an Art
Director for the last
few years, thereby
affecting the careers of
young artists under his
tutelage and reaping the
fulfilling rewards of
close interaction with
these artists. This has
proven to be a catalyst
for his own artwork,
propelling it in new and
wholly unexpected
directions.
As a boy growing up
in England, Brandon
spent many hours
watching his grandfather
create fine furniture.
The man was a master
craftsman, employing
traditional tools and
working methods handed
down through
generations. He passed
on to me to joy of
creating something
unique. I carry on these
traditions in my own
work. Today as an adult,
he views himself as
actually building a
painting, in perfect
analogy to his
grandfather building
furniture. As I 'build'
a painting or sculpture,
it is often the actual
working methods that I
am most drawn to. As I
learned to finish fine
furniture with layer
upon layer of polish and
wax, so I now find
myself working with
layer upon layer of
texture and color. This
method of working
triggers memories and
feelings that I channel
into my art, and it
enables me to give form
to my ideas.
