“art • ifacts”  Paintings by Alvin Richard

Self-taught New Brunswick painter, Alvin Richard, began painting at 25 years of age.  He was initially influenced by the realist movement and artists that emerged from the Fine Arts faculty of Mount Allison University.  His knowledge of art history is a perpetual journey of self-study and visiting hundreds of art galleries and museums across Canada, the United States and Western Europe. Popular culture and mass media have greatly influenced his artwork along with several art movements which include Realism, Impressionism, Hyperrealism and Pop Art.

In this solo exhibition entitled, “art - ifacts”, Alvin examines, in minute detail, various objects that have sparked his imagination.  “As the painter who created these still life paintings, what I've come to realize is that they're all semi-autobiographical in nature. They all originate from a place where a large part of my interests cohabitate within me. Several are directly or indirectly connected with my love of travel, the arts, books, genealogy  and life experiences. These are the elements that inform my art. Nostalgia finds its way in several of my works. Yet my aim is to introduce and repurpose an artifact from the past by bringing it into the "here and now" while documenting popular and mass culture in a narrative way. These ordinary manmade objects are the staples of our everyday lives yet, with the passage of time, often become iconic and collectable.”