b.1980

Richard WM Hudson has been working as a mixed media artist since a very young age. Gaining awards at school for his art to then having his work acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum at the early age of 16.

As well as art , Richard has worked as a Film Production Designer, having completed a BA in Theatre Design at Central St Martins and an MA in Film Production Design at the National Film School.

To date, he has worked on over 40 various media entertainment projects, continues to advise as a creative consultant and also still works as a property designer. With this under his belt, he brings his attention to detail, his knowledge of interiors and his ability to create a kind of story to his work.

For the past 8 yrs, Richard has been living and working in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, being greatly influenced by its outstanding natural beauty, and its natural resource for foraged materials. Richards art is created around his intuitive reaction to his subconscious feelings that are then transformed into mixed media art works.

Curriculum Vitae.

Please find below small video footage about the artist.

SOLÈNE wants the viewer to explore and understand the world of each artist by entering their studio life, their daily exploration or even a show, a project that has marked them but more generally SOLÈNE’s vision is for the viewers to see what inspire them, their artistic process and what they wish to share and transmit.

What do you mostly use as a medium to sculpt?

Ceramic and Wood. I’m drawn to and try to use anything natural.

Would you say you are a ceramicist or a sculptor? And why one more than the other?

If I were to say I’m a sculptor or ceramicist I would find that label really constricts my creativity. An artist is more what I am. I’m not a ceramic expert. I don’t use glazes, I prefer the raw fired natural colour of the clay. I don’t throw, just hand coil or build. If I colour the work it tends to be natural Mediums only. The ceramic is more of a medium, in a mixed material created art work. I started using wood as I didn’t have a kiln. Then after installing one I found myself using both materials combined. The works end up being what they are, whatever medium they choose to be.

You currently live in the dales in Yorkshire, would you say you get inspire about your natural habitat and if so, how?

I would say it’s the textures of my surroundings. From the landscape, to the microscopic. My mediums are foraged from the natural habitat. I find I’m drawn to artefacts that have naturally been eroded or torn apart by nature itself.

Are you currently working on a new series and if so, do you mind telling us a bit more?

I’m moving studios further down the country. It will be interesting to see how I respond to the new area and what will inspire me and make from it. That will be the new collection. I will also be refining my previous collections and creating more wall hung works.

How would you explain the process of creating one of your piece?

I start to make something randomly, I don’t know what it will be, even after making it can take a year or so before I realise what it means. I never draw or design what I’m going to make. I forage all kinds of materials I’m drawn to. I then grab and start to create, like a collage. The less I think about it, the better it becomes. The use of the ceramic, wood or any other material I’ve been drawn to, and the scorching of the wood all combine into one object. Certain music pieces help in the transformation of the pieces’ context and story. Growing up as a child my grandfather would take me to the natural history museum, the way the artefacts were presented had a sacred mystery about them. This I think has inspired me the most. Presentation of the work plays a big part in the final stage of completion.

What do you enjoy most in your artistic process?

There are different stages in the completion of a piece. Each has its own enjoyment and un-enjoyment. But I think it’s the not knowing what one is making till then end. The mystery of its final shape. Problem solving, finding the right tools, meeting and talking with other artists along the way. Foraging through the countryside finding what mother nature has already sculpted. The excitement is when I get drawn to a certain shape and my imagination and inspiration takes over. I find sometimes it’s not me who’s sculpting. The material sculpts itself. The final gathering of many works over a few years, one can see what one was actually doing and feeling. Telling a story, a type of visual diary.