New art works to be displayed at Gunnery

Richards has turned to new materials and methods in the past few years.

WASHINGTON — A reception will take place in Tisch Schoolhouse at The Gunnery on Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. to celebrate an exhibit of new works by artist Andrew Richards, chairman of the Visual Arts Department. The exhibit will remain on view through the spring, according to a release by the school.

A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, Richards has turned to new materials and methods in the past few years, making use of recycled and natural materials to create works based on an environmental theme. His images are often inspired by the golden ratio, also known as the Fibonacci sequence, in which the next number is found by adding together the two numbers before it. “This golden ratio occurs often in nature and is why the flowers and shells are used as the central theme of the work,” Richards said.

The artist said he sees recycled objects as new and interesting materials to work with artistically. Works that combine oil painting and recycled screens “represent the way people like to put a barrier between themselves and nature,” he said. “Old tires have been turned into masks that look back at the viewer and draw attention to the environmental impact humans have on our planet. We need to understand that we are not separated from the world around us.”

Richards teaches ceramics, drawing, painting and Advanced Placement studio art. He received the Class of 1955 Distinguished Teacher Award in 2011 and held the Hamilton Gibson Chair for Humanities from 2012 to 2015. A member of the National Art Education Association and the Connecticut Art Education Association, he lives in South Kent with his wife, Kristin, and their daughters, Hannah and Audrey.

Contributed photo “Dandy,” by artist Andrew Richards, chairman of the Visual Arts Department at The Gunnery.