RICHARD ROYAL | Schantz Galleries, 2016

RICHARD ROYAL FULL CIRCLE

RICHARD ROYAL FULL CIRCLE We are fortunate to know Richard Royal and represent him at our gallery. A highly skilled, thoughtful and creative artist, Richard’s contribution to the education and development of the medium, through his teaching at Pilchuck Glass School in Washington, and his collaboration with other artists, has established him as a major force in the art glass renaissance in the northwest and throughout the U.S. This exhibition primarily focuses on Richard’s newest Geometric Series and Optic Lens Series. In developing the elements for the Geometric Series, Richard has developed a method of mold blown and constructed elements to explore his sculptural ideas on a larger scale. The Optic Lens Series pushes the limits of blown glass in terms of scale, and they are pure statements about the incredible transparency and optical qualities inherent in the medium. It has been exciting to see the evolution of Richard’s work throughout the almost twenty years we have known him, and we are pleased to present his latest achievements which we feel are among some of his finest work to date.

Jim Schantz and Kim Saul June 2016

Kimono Tower 2016, 54 x 11 x 17�

It is an honor and a privilege to be exhibiting my newest works at the Schantz Galleries this summer. I’d like to thank everyone at the gallery for all their efforts, support, and confidence in my work This exhibition includes two of my most recent bodies of work, the Geometric Series and the Optic Lens Series. I’ve worked in glass for thirty years and for a good portion of that, I’ve focused on making large-scale sculptural objects that have deeply personal roots. A reoccurring theme is one of the relationships of individual parts, bonding together to make a dynamic whole.

The Geometric Series is an exploration into the theory that all things have a geometric significance or a mathematical sequence. Often this sequence builds on itself. If you break objects down, eventually you will find a geometric structure in the essence, whatever it is. My vision is to create organic sculpture using rigid components to portray this concept of growth and clarity in form.

When I first began this series, it was very direct in the replication of color and form. As it has evolved the sculpture has become more energetic with multiple types of surface treatments of the elements. This series has not only grown upward, but also outward to provide different experiences for the viewer as one moves around the artwork.

Richard Royal June 2016

The Geometric Series pays homage to nature in its ability to construct itself through simple geometic forms. Math is everywhere in nature, seen in the way plants grow and cells replicate.

This can also be deconstructed as a system of parts that build on one another, creating the fascinating and exciting world around us.

Fingerprints, flowers, insects, and cellular growth are all examples of mathematical constructions using the Fibonacci Spiral and the Golden Mean equation, as a basis for growth and individuality.

Red Pepper Spiral 2015, 21 x 21 x 14�

Golden Vortex 2016, 20 x 22 x 26�

Golden Vortex (alternate view)

Green Forest 2016, 25 x 25 x 20�

Green Forest (alternate view)

The Optic Lens evolved from a life-long experience of being on, or close to, the water and my fascination with lighthouses and the Fresnel lens. Safety and security are recurring themes in my work and the idea of glass and light used as an instrument of guidance is very inspiring. To me, this system of glass and light is a metaphor for simple concepts and a reminder that the basic things in life are sometimes the most important and have the strongest impact.

Optic Lens 2016, 17 x 18 x 18�

Optic Lens 2016, 17 x 18½ x 18½”

Optic Lens 2016, 17 x 18 x 18�

Optic Lens, 2016 Outdoor exhibition at Chesterwood

RICHARD ROYAL Born: USA, 1952

Richard Royal, a professional artist and faculty member of the Pilchuck Glass School, has pushed the limits of large scale blown glass sculpture for more than thirty five years. Royal has been exhibiting in galleries and museums since 1978 and among his many achievements is that he was the first Artist in Residence at the Waterford Crystal Factory in Waterford, Ireland in 1998 and 1999.

His work is represented in numerous international public and private collections.

Royal has been in nearly forty museum exhibitions, including the most recent curated by Jim Schantz, The Nature of Glass: Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood, 2016, in Stockbridge Massachusetts. His work is in numerous permanent museum collections including the Mint Museum of Art and Crafts in Charlotte, NC; ; and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA; the Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, CA; Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA; Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA; and the Daiichi Museum in Nagoya, Japan.

A past grant recipient from the National Endowment for the Arts, Royal has recently served as a visiting artist at the Corning Museum of Glass, the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Ohio State University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

AWARDS AND COMMISSIONS

2002 Seattle Chamber Music Festival Featured Artist, Seattle, WA 2001 Pilchuck Glass School, Passion Afire, Featured Artist, Seattle, WA 1989 Commission for Washington Governor’s Award, Washington State Arts Commission 1988 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Award

PUBLIC AND CORPORATE COLLECTIONS

Ben Bridge Jewelers, Seattle, WA Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, FL City Centre, Pilchuck Glass Collection, Seattle, WA Daiichi Museum, Nagoya, Japan Davis Wright Tremaine, Seattle, WA High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA IBM Collection, New York, NY Mint Museum of Art & Crafts, Charlotte, NC Monte Cristo Hotel, Everett, WA Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, CA Price/Waterhouse, Phoenix, AZ Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI Rigel Capital Managment, Seattle, WA SAFECO Collection, Seattle, WA Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle, WA Seattle First National Bank, Seattle, WA Seattle Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Seattle, WA Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL US Bank Centre, Seattle, WA US Embassy, Buenes Aires, Argentina United Parcel Service Corporate Collection, Atlanta, GA University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA Washington State Arts Commission, Olympia, WA Washington Trust Bank, Spokane, WA Westinghouse Corporation, Muskegon, MI

Š Schantz Galleries, 2016 Photography: All artwork; Richard Royal Portrait of the artist; Kim Saul Chesterwood image; Cassandra Sohn Design: Richard Tovell Front Cover Image: Green Forest, 2016

3 Elm Street Stockbridge, MA 413-298-3044 contact@schantzgalleries.com schantzgalleries.com