New York Solo Exhibition Launch Pics

With his Eminence Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York.



With our wonderful Aunt Deirdre Delaney who traveled to visit the show.



A crowd start to arrive.



Boo with Ms. Joanne Dillon and Ms. Chris Freze of J.P. Morgan, New York.



Center pieces at the Dillon Hall.



Mr John Lee of the IBO and Lee Media enjoying a chat with Anne Cosgrove who serves as treasurer of Irish Network New York City (IN-NYC).



Mr. Rory Kelleher and Ms. Camille M. Kelleher of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller with friend.



Our brilliant friends from Brooklyn, Mustapha A. Rahim and Niambi Williams Rahim.





Bart Pass, monitor for Gregg Kruetz with friends.



My Italian and Japanese art student friends.



A wonderful supportive crowd of new and old friends.



The opening was documented by Rudy Sagastume, communications expert at the Art Students League of New York. Look forward to show you this documentary in the near future.

Many Thanks to all my friends and supporters, Thank you for all the kind notes of well wishes and encouragement I received in advance and after the opening here in New York from home and abroad.

- Richard

Compostion in Purple and Lemon

Composition in Purple and Lemon - oil on canvas - 24"x20" - sold
Private Collection New York.

New York Solo Exhibition Launch 2012

Above is a short video piece created, to my absolute surprise, by New York City Broadcaster Sean Mc Carthy. The short video aired in advance of my exhibition launch on Friday.

The exhibition opening night has gone brilliantly, with a great turn out of past and new collectors, as well as many supporters. Thanks to all for your support and making this trip and exhibit a most wonderful experience.

Its amazing to think that I can come to this city with my art work and make, with the help of many others, a successful show like this manifest.

People traveled from as far as Pennsylvania and New Jersey, not to mention my wonderful Aunt Deirdre and Uncle Michael Delaney as well as old friends from my home town of Malahide, Co. Dublin who came to support me and catch up. Also special thanks to Rudy Sagastume, Artist and the video and communications expert from the Art Students League of New York who came to document the opening of my show and event on behave of the League. That truly is a huge honor for me.

It is my hope that the exhibit will have many more visitors on Monday and Tuesday of next week. I promise to share photos and video of the exhibit and opening night for you all to see in the near future.

Extra special thanks to my wonderful wife Boo and her Thai buddies Sirikul and Pi'A.

- Richard

My New York Story

Where to begin! This three month trip in preparation for my second new york solo exhibition has been such an awesome experience. Not just in my painting and the thought processes around my creativity, not just in terms of the experiences this city has offered me, but it has proved overall positive and developmental in all aspects of my existence!



Firstly the experiences of Manhattan and getting to know that island and hub of activity along with the experiences of painting at the famous Art Student League which has been a real center of New York creativity since 1875.



Then the chance to stay with my friends in Sunnyside, in the Queens Borough. A wonderful neighborhood that has an strong Irish community past but has diversified into one of the most mixed ethnic places on earth.



and then onto and into the heart of Bushwick, Brooklyn. A developing and poor community with the most welcoming rich hearts and strong spirit.



Interwoven within all this experience has been the incredible subway rides, numerous museum and gallery visits as well as the daily sampling of the food and restaurant culture which is so prominent here. In fact, I could have written a whole book never mind a few blog posts on the incredible food that is available here in a city so far from the farms that produce its daily consumption.

Over all I know that these three months which have been packed with experience spent in this most famous of cities is just the beginning for me here. It is just the start of a love affair which I will hope for and look to develop further over the coming years.

- Richard

New York City Exhibition Invitation 2012

My Second New York City Solo Exhibit of Paintings opens at the Offices of

His Eminence Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan this Friday March 23rd at 6pm.



Date: March 23rd, 2012
Time: 5:00pm 8:30pm
Place: The Dillon Hall, 20th Floor, The Cardinal Cooke Building (bet 55th and 56th street)
1011 First Avenue, New York, NY 10022.



This Exhibit will also be open to visitors on Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th from 9.30am to 8.30pm (by appointment).

Last weekend I joined New York broadcaster Adrian Flannelly to attend the 42nd St. Patrick's Day Special Broadcast from Madison Avenue and discuss the show and my work.

For further details and information on this Solo Exhibit please see contact Richard Hearns at info@richardhearns.com or call: (001) 646 209 1409

A Day with Max Ginsberg

Its hard to imagine and a great surprise to me that my introduction to Max Ginsberg's work first came when I was just eleven years of age. I remember gazing at the drama taking place on the front cover of this childrens novel by Mildred D. Taylor entitled Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.



Yesterday I spent the day with Max as he gave a talk and painting demonstration at the Society of Illustrators in New York City.

Max is now 82 years of age and a contemporary of Harvey Dinnerstein whom I mentioned having the chance to meet with to talk to in a previous post. Max Ginsburg was one of America's foremost illustrators (1980-2004) and is one of the most respected and highly accomplished realist painters today. He has exhibited extensively throughout his career and recently received a retrospective at the Butler Institute of American Art.

When Max Ginsburg entered the art world in the 1960's, he was working in direct opposition to the period's minimalism and rejection of representational art. His work reflects and represents his immediate environment. He approaches his subjects sympathetically if in a somewhat unromantic manner, with his primary motivation being visual truth rather than idealization.
This idea really resonates with me as I feel that truth is ultimately the most important thing an artist can communicate. I don't mean that all work must tackle subjects of social injustice or contain the gritty realism of our post modern society but that each painting I create should be the truth at that moment. I have found this 'truth' when painting plein air in Ireland and out on the streets here or even when I composed my early figure in landscape work - that truth was there, present in my minds eye and surroundings and not choreographed or orchestrated.



It is that 'truth' that I hunt for before I tackle any subject, no matter how important or unimportant these subjects may or may not seem. That feeling of truth is the catalyst that propels me into a painting.

Max also spoke at length about 'the painting process' and ideas around painting during his portrait demonstration as well his processes during his years in illustration and the pit falls of using photography as well as how visual references can benefit the artist.



Above is a portrait he made of Donna - one of the models I have had the chance to work with during my time at the Arts League of New York.

Today I spent the day at New York's Largest Art Fair - The Armory Exhibition. It was an amazing and very inspirational experience. I will be trying to digest all I saw over the coming days.

Until my next post, which will contain more information on my coming New York Solo Exhibition, best wishes to all - Richard.

With Gregg Kreutz

Myself and Gregg Kreutz in the historical Studio 7 of the Art Students League of New York.

For the past two months while painting at the famous Art Student League of New York my mentor has been Gregg Kreutz.
Gregg is one of the most sought after teachers at the League and to be allowed into his studio class was a real honor and one I am very grateful for. Gregg is the most wonderful teacher and communicator as well as an award winning painter - a true master.
He studied with Frank Mason, Robert Beverly Hale, and most significantly, the world renowned David A. Leffel all in the very studio in which I painted with him - Studio 7.
Gregg has won numerous awards for his painting in America including the Frank C. Wright Award, the Hudson Valley Art Association Award, 1986, the Medal of Merit, the Council of American Artists Awards, Salmagundi Club; the Grumbacher Award, Knickerbocker Artists and most recently he won the Merit Award at the 2005 National Portrait Society of America.



Gregg working on the vase 'edges' of Walter Lynn Mosley's painting.

I feel I have gleaned a great deal of knowledge from Gregg during our time together. Small Subtle ideas which will no doubt infuse my paintings as they continue to metastasize.

On Wednesday of last week I began with a new painting mentor, Joseph Peller. Joseph is a fabulous colorist, a New York City urban figurative artist working in paint, print making and sculpture. During time in the studio with him I will concentrate more on drawing with the figure and on capturing the colour of light through application and increased awareness in paint handling. Joseph has a great energy about him. He studied with the world renowned artists George Bellows and Charles W. Hawthorne.
I am really looking forward to my next few weeks training with him.

If you would like to see more of how I am spending my time here in New York check out my facebook page. It contains links to museums and galleries which I am visiting here as well as updates and meanderings on the things that interest me.

Will have details on my New York Solo Show which opens on Friday March 23rd in my next blog post as well as an image of the final piece created under Kreutz's tutelage.

- Richard