RAiR | 1971-72

Richard Schindler

Richard Schindler (b. 1942) made paintings, drawings and sculptures for over five decades. He was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Richard served in the Marine Corps for four years, traveling extensively in Europe and the Caribbean. Afterwards he used his GI bill to study at the San Francisco Art Institute. After receiving his BA, he went on to Stanford University, completing a master’s degree in painting in 1971. After graduate school, he was accepted to the RAiR residency. He started with sculpture, moved to painting, returned to sculpture while continuing to make paintings and drawings in Spokane, Washington.

“I really don’t care to write about it - this making of art - I would rather do it. This visual language is precisely that, it’s visual. It’s about picking up clues and ideas from all over the place, and following through on the need to make a mark, to reciprocate. This process is not about some trip down pleasure lane. There are moments when serious decisions are made, like changing or destroying, or “killing my darling;” to radically change a piece that has become precious and therefore stagnate. In this change I free the piece to become its own entity, more alive. Think about this. I don’t make these things for some Pragmatic Outcome. They come from my Spirit, curiosity and imagination and passion.

When I look at something ancient, whether it be artworks or utilitarian objects, I see marks made by a human hand or damage from the elements or neglect, and I sense the passage of time - a story of change over time. I am attracted to a kind of crudity in materials. It represents character.

There is something about the ruggedness of the landscape, both rural and urban, in the Inland Northwest that holds my attention. The climate is very favorable to the weathering of wood. It’s like a giant kiln with a vaporizer. It’s interesting how in the course of my life, using traditional craft and studio practice, the effect of place and personal expression comes through in the work.”