'Pictures' is too vague a term for the personal and passionate responses to nature which comprise Richard Meyer's oil paintings, pastels and drawings. Nudes, figures (figureworks), landscapes, portraits and still lifes, rich in colour and textured impasto emerge from his studio in North Devon, near Exmoor, and coalesce into a body of work that might seem a fusion of Expressionism and Post-Impressionism but is in fact contemporary and quite different. Inherent are concepts of beauty, eroticism, glamour and the male eye.

An unusual training took shape under Sir Peter Scott – the naturalist, founder of the World Wildlife Fund, and consummate painter of wilderness. Meyer worked on breeding rare and endangered species, writing and illustrating books (mainly as Richard Mark Martin). He gained a PhD in Ecology from Glasgow University, and is a qualified teacher.

The visual sense slowly became the core of a life devoted to painting: wild nature and the human beast (or 'Naked ape' if you prefer!) merge. Emotional responses to aesthetic beauty are influenced visually by elements that attract the human eye. Whether it is our own body, a landscape, pet, flower or garden, we shape the world to please ourselves. Life studies and figure drawing, from nude through states of semi-naked to clothed, regard the sensuality of the female body. Perceived 'sexiness' in visualised landscapes spawned 'Figurescapes': a series which provokes strong views.

But above all, this is the real stuff of oil paint: rich and succulent with layers of meaning and interpretation, individual to each viewer. A private collector said "Meyer's paintings are vibrant and expressionistic, emerging from the margins of an eternal triangle: where Civilization meets Nature - meets Man - meets Woman. Aesthetics of nature and the human figure are major sources".

Meyer exhibits with Celia Purcell Contemporary in London and in West Country galleries such as The Camelford Gallery in Cornwall, The Little Gallery on the Farm, Shebbear and the Salar Gallery, Hatherleigh, Devon. Work is in private collections in Britain, France, USA and Dubai.

Exhibitions

Richard's exhibition (GROUNDWORKS II) at The Salar Gallery has finished
but a selection of paintings has been retained by special request
 

In London, Richard's paintings may be seen at Celia Purcell Contemporary outside of formal exhibitions.
See Celia's website www.celiapurcell.com or telephone 020 7624 1477 to arrange viewing and for directions etc
Go to SW5 Notebook  and click on Profile for an article about Celia illustrated by Richard's paintings

Nearby, further paintings can be seen at the "Gallery Kaleidoscope" 64/66 Willesden Lane, NW6 -
www.gallerykaleidoscope.com; telephone 020 7328 5833

Paintings may also be seen in or through some local galleries; if not hanging at time of visit please enquire for viewing options etc
Outlines, Chumleigh, Camelford Gallery, The Little Gallery, Shebbear and The Salar Gallery, Hatherleigh