JC Richard
JC Richard
Biography
JC RICHARD is a Commercial & Fine Artist from Beverly, Massachusetts. Raised amongst the oceanside galleries of the North Shore and Cape Ann, he developed an early affinity towards natural landscapes and sea renderings; years later, he would attempt to bring these natural aesthetics into his commercial work. His professional creative life began as a freelance 3D matte painter, texture artist and modeler for various scifi television productions, and after a brief-but-educational stint as Creative Director for a large metro ad agency, he found his new home in fine art and “pop culture” art gallery world. He then began to bring various popular culture elements into his nature-based settings, attempting to strip away their obvious "pop" familiarity while highlighting these characters’ relationships to the natural world.
He quickly gained commercial notoriety for his screenprinted poster and design work for such culturally-influential companies such as Austin's Mondo Posters and LA’s Gallery1988, and multimedia giants such as Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm, DC, Universal and Sony Entertainment. He has cultivated a dedicated collector following around the world, and has shown prints and originals in galleries all over the country from New York to LA, San Francisco, Chicago and Austin, as well as internationally in such locales as Singapore and China.
A lifelong Disney fan, he is excited to be able to bring these iconic characters into his organic settings, hopefully re-telling familiar stories in ways that make them fresh and relevant to new audiences. "I've been incredibly fortunate that my passions have become my occupation," Richard says. "Disney has played a large part in my artistic development, even in the past few years; raising kids has allowed me to re-discover the majesty of Disney animation and storytelling. It's easy to forget Disney started from illustration-- from manifesting these characters and stories on the page, then using the power of an engaging narrative to move others to real emotion and action."
"I'm also constantly drawn to the thematic and artistic aspects of the Disney parks--the immersive nature of the lands, the tiny themed details Imagineers put into the attractions and structures to help tell their story. It's really no different than what I try to do within a single image--striving to make these characters live and breathe, to convey strengths and emotions through their visual relationship to the environment and each other. I really believe this is what really draws people in and makes them come back for repeated viewings-- it's all subtle, detailed storytelling. Somehow all this meticulous detail can come together and make these fantastical creations seem very real-- that's where the true Disney magic lies for me..."