Welcome.

My pictures celebrate the beauty of the natural and man-made world. I use actual scenes as starting points, exaggerating, simplifying and intensifying to create a new image. Recently I have become interested in the possibilities of abstract expression. Freedom from the constraints of literal representation offers opportunities to explore more fully texture and the interactions of colour and form, which can resemble the harmonies of musical notes. However, forms around us remain an inspiration.

Since first visiting Greece and Sierra Leone I have been attracted to the intensity of light and shade in The Mediterranean and Africa. I use watercolour, gouache, acrylic and pastel or a combination of these mediums. I took up painting twenty years ago after a career in teaching.

My paintings try to create an ideal world of the imagination, a fantasy, an escape, to lift the spirit in a discordant world.

Click on the links above or the images to the right to see more examples. Thanks for looking at my work.

Richard Olver

"... wonderful paintings - full of life"

"... very colourful, like Mexico"

"... Richard"s paintings remind me of Africa"

"...the colours - the yellows - make me think of holidays at the beach - the promenade and umbrellas"

"... vibrant colours "

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