Last show for artist ‘Rain Man’
IN 1972 Bob Richardson walked into Salford Art Gallery with some of his paintings.
He was given his own one-man show which was a sell-out. Using oils his depictions of the disappearing landscapes of Manchester and Salford and the Derbshire countryside were greatly sort after.
He was offered another show at the gallery and in order to keep up with the demand for his work he made a career defining move, and switched to pastels instead of oils.
He captured the rain-drenched streets of Stockport, Manchester, and Salford and earned the accolade ‘The Rain Man’ from both national and local press.
In 1975 he quit his job with an advertising agency and became a professional artist.
Now after 45 years of success, and 5,000 paintings, Bob, aged 79, is to stage his last ever one-man show.
It opened on Thursday at Clark Art in Hale. Bill Clarke, owner of the gallery, in Ashley Road, said: “It was a courageous decision by Bob to turn professional given the depressed economic climate at the time but there was continued demand for his work from the mid 1970s to 1980s.”
An exhibition in 1984 at the famous Tib Lane Gallery - where works by the likes of L S Lowry and Pierre Adolph Valette were shownwas a turning point in his career.
“At the time Bob was concerned he was becoming pigeon-holed as a painter of rainy northern scenes. So he did a series of paintings of Whitby and Amsterdam. It was a great success. A local businessman saw Bob’s Amsterdam canal scenes and paid for him to go to Venice to produce a series of paintings for him.
“This was a trip that changed Bob’s life. He has been back 12 times and done 2,000 paintings of Venice,” said Bill.
The Italian Lakes, Paris, and other European cities were among his favourite locations for works full of light, colour, and movement.
The 60 works he has produced for his last show cover his favourite subjects.
They include Albert Square and St Ann’s Square, Manchester in the rain, the villages of Arley and Prestbury in Cheshire, olive groves next to Lake Garda, Snowdonia, Dunham Massey, and Whitby.
A book tracing Bob’s career, “Bob Richardson PS Pastel Master” by Kate Houghton and Bill is being launched at the show.