Interview with artist Richard Stephens
Richard Stephens grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas and has lived there all his life. His expressive watercolors reflect the beauty and culture of the region. Richard has received national and international recognition for his skill as a watercolorist and conducts workshops around the country. He has been featured numerous times in The Art of Watercolor, a French publication widely considered as the top watercolor publication in the world. In 2018 Richard received a 2018 Governor’s Arts Award as Arkansas Individual Artist of the Year. More of his work can be found at his website raswatercolors.com.
AAS: Richard, I believe you are a lifelong resident of Hot Springs. Would you talk about what it was like growing up there, your education, work and adventures along the way?
RS: I was blessed with an idyllic childhood…wonderful, loving parents, two big brothers that were, and still are, my heroes. Both my parents were schoolteachers, so education was important and stressed in our household. Playing sports was an important part of my youth, but I always seriously drew from a very, very early age. In school, though playing all sports available, I was much better known as the “Class Artist”. We had very little art offered in school back then (one semester in the 8th grade) but I did take some art lessons one summer from a lady that taught in her home studio. I remember that was very encouraging for me. I still have a painting of a cat I did in pastel!
Even though I continued my participation in athletics in college, I knew art was my real passion…and future. I graduated with a degree in art from now called the University of Central Arkansas, in 1969. My next step was the US Army, where I was fortunate enough to be assigned an MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) as Artist/Illustrator.
In 1971 I went to work for a small design studio/advertising agency in Little Rock, Arkansas. The agency, Group 5 West, and its owners, Richard Hinkle and Bill Lewis was a perfect place for me at that time in my career development. I owe them both so much. They taught me the art side and the business side of the commercial art world. One of the other artists I worked with at Group 5 West was Ron Kinkaid. My longtime friend has become an outstanding watercolorist. In 1974 I open my own commercial art studio in my hometown of Hot Springs and continued servicing a variety of clients through 2012. During the 90’s my close friend and fellow artist, Gary Simmons, and I had a design studio together. We had a client list of mostly industrial/manufacturing accounts. I still do an occasional commercial job for friends and old clients.
“Watercolor will body slam you to the ground more often than not!! But occasionally, one will work…you hit a home run!”
AAS: When did you discover your love of watercolor?
RS: As early as junior high I was drawn to watercolor. I remember seeing some reproductions of watercolor paintings by John Pike. I didn’t know anything about the medium except that it was beautiful and I wanted to do that. My first real exposure to hands on watercolor was in college. For some reason I had a knack for it and intuitively (kinda) understood its nuance. My senior year we had a new department head, Dr. Jerry Poole, who was a watercolorist. Dr. Poole recognized my passion and was a great mentor who encouraged my pursuit of the challenging, yet rewarding, medium.
AAS: You are known for your landscapes as well as your figurative work. Do you have a favorite subject matter?
RS: No, I do not have a favorite subject matter. The literal subjects of my paintings are all over the place…landscape, architectural, figurative, industrial, floral, animals…even an occasional non-objective. But the real subject of my paintings is light and the value contrast it creates. I hope you see in all my work the white of the paper and very rich darks…with a value range in between. Obviously, color is an important element of design. But what attracts me to a potential subject is value contrast and the dramatic effect it creates…that is my real subject.
AAS: Two of my favorites are the landscape Creek Scene and Eureka Springs Chef. Would you talk about those paintings and how you might have approached and executed them differently based on the subject - landscape versus figure?
Eureka Springs Chef, 20” x 14”, watercolor on paper
RS: I really like these two paintings. Eureka Springs Chef has been a very successful painting for me and has won several awards. Creek Scene was a very quickly done watercolor (10 to 15 minutes max) that, as often happens when we “let go”, turned out to be a strong painting. In terms of the actual painting process in the “Chef” I obviously needed some degree of accuracy in the figure and kitchenware, but still wanted a loose and interruptive style. The dark band that runs behind the white-coated chef is an important design element as it creates strong value contrast. The ladles are an example of repetition with variety. The soft edges background and rising steam add a touch of mystery and magic.
In Creek Scene, accuracy was totally unimportant. Who knows, or cares, if a landscape painting is right or wrong! If that tree is exactly right there in relation to the other elements in the landscape. Thus, landscapes are one of the easiest subjects. In fact, the painting was totally made up as I painted it, I had a rough vision in my mind, but I approached the painting as play and practice…letting it happen rather than trying to make it happen. The one thing I paid attention to was being sure I made the suggestion of distant trees using light and soft edge in places to insure they receded into the distance.
Creek Scene, 10” x 15”, watercolor on paper
AAS: Even though you use transparent watercolor, the way you can manipulate light is remarkable. Would you talk about that and the piece Light and Shadow?
Light and Shadow, 10” x 12”, watercolor on paper
RS: The small, quick watercolor study, Light and Shadow, was an attempt to capture a moment in the lobby of the Arlington Hotel, a landmark here in Hot Springs. This very, very abstract painting is all about the late afternoon light coming through the large window and bathing the room with a glow and warmth that was magical. I had to try and paint it! The cast shadows and reflections on the furniture and floor created a lacy pattern that complimented the window and plant shape. Subject matter is everywhere! Without getting too technical here, in working in transparent watercolor we work from light to dark, as we can’t paint a light color/value over a dark color/value. Thus, watercolor requires a lot more forethought as per our process as we begin a painting and know we want to create that wonderful transparent effect that can only be found in watercolor.
AAS: Is expressing depth using watercolor technically more challenging than using oil or pastel?
RS: I don’t think so. In all mediums we use some of the same techniques to suggest depth. Design “tricks” such as overlapping of shapes, using cooler colors as your subject recedes, less detail and definition the farther back you go…these are all used in the various painting mediums. The reality of watercolor though is that we don’t have the option to correct our mistakes. We get one good shot at it. In the other painting mediums, we can work and rework them until we get what we want. Not so in watercolor!
AAS: You have painted some absolutely charming scenes of Hot Springs. Two of my favorites are Mr. Puckett at the Arlington, which is just marvelous, and The Ozark Bathhouse. What is it about that town that you love?
The Ozark Bathhouse, 12” x 16”, watercolor on paper
RS: Well, first of all, Hot Springs is my hometown and I have spent my life here. The memories, experiences, family, and friendships are who I am. But, as so many folks have discovered, Hot Springs is just a special place. We enjoy beautiful architecture, a varied and fascinating history, the cosmopolitan feel in a small southern town…and the people…lots of interesting people. The painting, Mr. Puckett at the Arlington is an example. Mr. Puckett was a music teacher and touched so many lives with his music and sharing attitude…including the Hall of Fame songwriter and Hot Springs native, Randy Goodrum. This has been a special painting for me. I knew it would be (sometimes you just know they are going to work) on that long ago Sunday afternoon when I ask Mr. Puckett if I could photograph him as he played at the Arlington Brunch. The Ozark Bathhouse is an example of our beautiful architecture. When I did the painting it was also serving as the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) here in Hot Springs and I had been part of shows and exhibits there.
Mr. Puckett at the Arlington, 12” x 20”, watercolor on paper
AAS: You have been honored by several international watercolor societies and received the 2018 Governor’s Arts Award for Individual Arkansas Artist of the Year. Why do you think you have been so successful and so admired?
RS: Let me just say, my art has been a blessing to me in so many ways. It brings me unlimited personal joy. It has allowed me to travel and meet so many wonderful fellow artists through teaching workshops for the past 20 years. It has also “paid the bills”! I have been lucky on occasion to have my art recognized through awards and publication. But, being an Arkansas native, being named The Arkansas Artist of the Year in 2018 by The Arkansas Arts Council has to be a highpoint in my career.
AAS: Two of your pieces, Granddaddy’s Lantern and Food Truck, I find extraordinary for their suggested detail. What is the trick for getting the viewer to ‘fill in’ detail? Your paintings really engage the viewer.
Granddaddy’s Lantern, 11” x 8”, watercolor on paper
RS: These are two of my favorite paintings. And your words… ”suggested detail” …is the key. I think my role as an artist is to “interpret”, not to render (as in trying to make it look like a photograph). I want to share my vision and response to a subject. In the painting, Food Truck the color is totally made up and not what it really looked like at all. Although the values are what make the painting a strong design, it is the color that first attracts the viewer in this case. There is just enough “detail” to make it believable.
In contrast, the painting, Granddaddy’s Lantern is basically monochromatic. It is fairly accurate to the actual subject, but so much was left off or suggested…allowing the viewer to participate and finish it off. This painting has special meaning to me as it really was my grandfather’s lantern…it was in the barn on his East Texas farm.
Food Truck, 7” x 15”, watercolor on paper
AAS: You have in the past and continue to do a great deal of teaching. What do you find most gratifying about teaching art?
RS: I have been teaching Watercolor Workshops for over 20 years. As the old saying goes…”If you want to learn something, teach it.” Very true. Keeps me challenged, thinking and learning. It is also just plain fun! I love teaching. In some ways it is performance art. I do at least one demo each day and respond to up to 20 students several times a day with their questions, frustrations and breakthroughs…those wonderful “aha” moments. It also allows me to go to some great locations. I have taught in Key West the past several years. Florida is a watercolor mecca and I have taught in several cities there. This coming year I have a chance to teach in Key West, Sarasota, New York, Utah, North Carolina and Alaska…not bad gigs! You can visit my Facebook page (Richard Stephens) or website raswatercolors.com to see my schedule for the remainder of 2021 and postings of my 2022 schedule.
“Every painting is simply practice for the next one.”
AAS: I read that you complete a painting almost every day. What keeps you so committed and interested?
RS: Like any Passion, you have to feed it! Also, I want to get better – and the only way to do that is to practice, practice…practice. But I guess the bottom line is, I just love to paint. It gives me great joy, satisfaction and purpose. Yes, I do paint almost every day. And I do a lot of bad paintings. Watercolor will body slam you to the ground more often than not!! But occasionally, one will work…you hit a home run! And you experience a special joy only understood by other artists. I tell my students my philosophy is… “Every painting is simply practice for the next one.”
