BIO:
Rick Wright is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a B.F.A in Design/Illustration and an M.A. in art education. He lives in midtown Kansas City, Missouri with his wife and young daughter. He routinely exhibits work in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area and travels regionally to art festivals in Minneapolis, Denver, Dallas, St Louis, Chicago, Memphis, and Des Moines. In addition to his personal work, he has been an art educator in both private and public schools and currently teaches art at Van-Go Inc., an arts based non-profit job training program in Lawrence, KS.
STATEMENT:
Terpsichore, in Greek mythology was one the nine Muses of the arts. Her traditional domain of dance and song, along with more contemporary cirque nouveau and burlesque performers have influenced my most recent figurative explorations. These subjects evoke an exciting blend of physicality, grace, and movement that I seek to translate into my work. Though semi-abstract and expressionistic, I value a believability, proportion, and energy in the form while taking risks with color relationships and mark- making. I build, define, and refine each painting in an additive gestalt of liveliness and energy. I seek a balance between the raw nature of a gestural five minute sketch and the sophistication one expects of a resolved painting. The strength and classicism of these often feminine forms in motion both challenge and compliment the direction of my work.
