Live Performance Painting
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Houston International Poetry Festival 2002 Mural Acrylic on canvas 8ftx6ft painted outside at night. Photos by Seema Gill Richard Heley is a 'live' performance painter and
paints in night-clubs and arts events internationally, often inviting
audience participation, an activity that has been particularly successful
while working with children. His paintings are represented in collections
around the world. |
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Painted "live" at Ruta Maya, Austin International Poetry festival 2002 Acrylic on board 2ftx2ft (Richard has painted up to 18 paintings each 2x2ft in an evening.) Live painting is 5 to 6 hours of high energy letting go, producing spontaneous and joyous paintings. Sizes of live paintings have varied from 2ft square to as much as 24ft x 6ft Live paintings are often done on sheets of hardboard, a smooth, hard surface which can be leaned against walls and is ideal for drawing in oil pastels. Materials are acrylic paint often combined with oil pastels |
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Children are given best quality artists oil pastels and invited to make drawings, while Richard works with and around them, painting in the background. The combination of children dreaming across the unverse and the design and paint skills of an artist, has produced some joyous and dynamic artwork. Richard's only rules for live painting are that he is the only one allowed to use paint and that there's no writing on the painting. Richard has painted in schools, arts events and festivals in UK, Australia and America Contact seema@uprisearts.com to book a live painting done interactively with children |
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The Dutch Pot Mural. (detail shown) Acrylic on hardboard 16ft x 6ft Richard has been resident live performance painter for 4 years at Dutchpot, a monthly songwriters showcase in West London. He's painted many beautiful abstract paintings there, but after working on one particular painting for several sessions, it suddenly became figurative and was painted over a period of about 18 months continuing one evening each month. |