The Paintings of Richard Francis Knapp

Comments from the visitors book at the last exhibition ......"Richard's paintings affect the very atoms in my body"..."........ beautiful work"........"The Lost Warriors is superb"....."Ola! Richard! Wow!"........."Stunning"......."Totally inspiring"

The process of creation

I start each painting abstractly, just layering paint and trying to keep my mind out of the way. Then at some point, I start to dream into the content and work with it. I try not to form things too much but rather hint at things so the viewer has the freedom to discover his or her own soul messages as well as or instead of mine. I like to think that they are paintings which you can live with for a long time and yet constantly discovering something new and relevant in them.

I generally use watercolours and a technique of wet on wet which I learned long ago when I was teaching in a Rudolf Steiner School, where it enabled even the less artistically gifted to express themselves and create beautiful paintings in the process. Recently I have been experimenting with water based oil paints!

About myself

I live here at Little Burrows on the edge of Dartmoor, where I like to walk every day. It has a rugged ever changing beauty which sometimes finds it's way into my paintings.

I divide my time here between painting, maintaining the centre and generally serving our guests see organicaccommodation.com as well as making music and running our recording studio see fireflystudios.co.uk It's a full life but one which is very nourishing.

I have two grown up daughters, Sam and Sarah, who both work in the visual arts in London. I guess I could fill this page with a list of the occupations I've had! Everything from truck driver to psychotherapist, carpenter to teacher.

I spent most of my early life in Yorkshire which was a tough old place to grow up. My parents still live there, though they are southerners themselves. I've lived in Devon longer than anywhere else now and enjoy being part of the vibrant, artistic and alternative community that exists here.

Scorhill stone circle near my house at Throwleigh, Dartmoor

Please don't use my work without asking. You can email me richard@sacredartstudio.com or call +44 (0) 1647 231305.

Most of the work is for sale and I have prints and cards available of many of them.

I welcome your emails and visits if you're coming to this part of the world.