About the Artist

Sur James Richmond 'Artist'   CV Biography

I was born in 1955 with a paintbrush in my mouth, a rainbow of colours running through my veins, and a childhood dream of being a great artist like Leonardo Davinci. I spent the next 28 years in survival mode, going through the school of hard knocks in institutions and poverty. I was a victim of the Victorian Government’s Lost Generation. Taken from my mother at 18 months old and institutionalised until they hospitalised me at age 12. As a rebellious 15-year-old teenager in the colourful 1970s, I had given up my childhood dream of becoming an Artist as my free-spirited party life began. Living on the edge, motorbikes, birds, booze and drugs, always avoiding the return to incarceration. About 40 years ago, at the age of 28, l finally settled down and embraced the responsibility of parenthood. Family and new creative friends started me down that path of seriously fulfilling that childhood dream of becoming an Artist. Being highly uneducated but good at problem-solving with a good old Aussie sense of humour and a very creative mind. l realised l needed more confidence and tutoring to become a successful artist like the Old Masters. l always had that strong, extreme, inner creative passion for painting, from my primary school days.  In my first 30 years of life, l was drawing randomly and painting blindly, hoping one day to meet a Master Artist who would recognise my talent and show me by demonstration and application the planning needed to produce a masterpiece and help me achieve my Artistic goals. In 1984, through my family and newfound friends, l finally met my 2 Masters, a double bonus. Jimmy Fisher and Ray Hewit. They embraced my talent and a mateship developed, giving me that confidence and motivation I longed for and needed to become the confident, happy and successful artist I am today. With a lot of self-discipline and Artistic passion, I finally set up some serious painting time managing 4 to 10 hours per week to improve my artistic skills while being a house husband and a businessman at my Picture Framing and Art Supply shop, which I started in Werribee in 1989, which became my trade and my source of income security as Artists always need a second job. My customers became my students and lifetime painting friends, from whom I learnt many different styles and mediums, thus becoming an EXPERIMENTER of the Arts. Over the years, I have studied, researched, practiced, and mastered at least 30 different mediums, all of which are equal in difficulty and value as a learning point.

 I constantly challenge the Rules of Art to produce Vibrant, Dynamic, but Clever Surreal paintings. I believe my next painting will always be my best, as I knead together all the crazy ideas buzzing around in the right side of my brain, which allows me the freedom and knowledge to mix them to create something NEW and REWARDING for me and the viewer.

" I believe that if you are gifted with a talent and don't use it, then you don't deserve it."

l have labelled myself a ‘Surrealist Fantasy Artist’ after reading a book on Salvador Dali, which was gifted to me by my partner Ann, who encouraged me to pursue my artistic career. I realized that Dali’s paintings, thoughts, and values on life were very similar to mine, which certified that l was not insane but just another crazy artist with a creative imagination. As were my two masters, Ray Hewitt and James Fisher, who found me struggling in my quest to paint, took me under their wings and taught me the technical way of painting my dreams. They were also very Philosophical Surrealists who worked hard all their lives in a death house (abattoir), bloody great hardline teachers with a great Aussie sense of humour, which made learning more enjoyable.

EXHIBITIONS

I do not believe in painting to compete in Art exhibitions for money, but mainly for personal satisfaction. I want to be able to practice my gifted artistic talent to express my thoughts and feelings to make people laugh, smile, and feel good without judgment.

 However, when I am under duress to enter exhibitions from my participating students or fellow Artists, I feel obliged to sponsor and participate in order to motivate them and introduce them to the entertaining side of ART.

 I mainly participate to show people my latest ideas and diversity in mediums and styles. Here are some of my lucky rewards for my Artworks.

1971 -   Dandenong  Arts Exhibition- Honor award under 25 drawing (aged 15)

1985 -  Altona Art Exhibition  -  Winner  Pastel Award

1998 -  Bayside Art Festival  -  Special Merit Award

2001 -  Australian Air Brush Convention Sydney - Peoples Choice

2002 -  Sanctuary Lakes Art Exhibition  -  Winner

2007 -  Werribee . Community .Arts Alliance Art Exhibition – Winner

2009 -  Werribee. Mercy Hospital Art Exhibition – Winner

2011 -  Werribee Beta Sigma Phi Art Exhibition -  Best Landscape

2011 -  Werribee. Community. Arts Alliance -  Encouragement Award

2013 - Werribee Community Arts Alliance . Winner Portrait

2017 - Werribee  Art show  winner best landscape

SOLO EXHIBITIONS ;

 1986 - Footscray Community Arts Centre

 1989- Williamstown Studio 4

 1992- Werribee Events centre

 2000- Werribee Culture Centre

JOINT EXHIBITIONS

 1998 -  'Cerry Tree Hotel Richmond' (Lawyers Guns & Money)

               Pat Hayes, Sue Hayes S.J. Richmond, Jools Bloom, Ron Guy.

 2000 - 'Lounge- Melbourne' S.J.Richmond , Pat Hayes, Steve Lake.

 2009 - 'Friday Night Dreams'   S.J.Richmond  & Andrew  Dyer

 2010 - 'Friday Night - Thoughts- Dreams - Emotions'  S.J.Richmond

                                        Andrew Dyer & Catharina Luczyc

Murals

1988 - Rock Junction Hotel (Newport) Music Venue.2007 - Woodville Park Special School.

2010 - Point Cook Recreational Park.

2012 – Morriss Road underpass Hoppers Crossing.

2023 – Various shops and houses Werribee suburbs.