Willy Bo Richardson

"My paintings are pared down to only the essentials—making each passage of color, or even brush-stroke, count. For me, painting is the practice of learning my place, and doing my part, to give voice to what's greater." 

-  Willy Bo Richardson

Willy Bo Richardson married himself to a single mode of working as a formal recognition of the power of remaining in one place and as a way to honor consistency and quietude. Viewing his work as philosophy in motion, Richardson believes that vertical strokes are the last bastion of creativity in painting; vibrant colors and bold brushstrokes are the powerful forces of gravity in his creativity. Painting in both watercolor and oil, Richardson’s lines are large and loose, or narrow and tight, while colors edge playfully over one another. While painting, it the tension of freedom and working within the limited structure, tethers him to the cycle, and the work—although, he is inevitably always working toward freedom.

Richardson’s work has been the subject of solo exhibitions and featured in numerous group exhibitions. Richardson shows extensively throughout the United States in private and public collections, including at the Albuquerque Museum. His work and vision was featured on the PBS weekly arts series, ¡COLORES!. He received an MFA in painting from Pratt Institute in 2000, was a faculty member at Santa Fe University of Art and Design for 7 years. Richardson was awarded a residency at Tamarind Institute and was a SITE Santa Fe SPREAD finalist.