April 17, 1958 – April 28, 2023
ON SATURDAY JULY 15TH FROM NOON TO 6PM WE ARE HOLDING A CELEBRATION OF RICK’S LIFE AT HIS HOME. IF YOU ARE ABLE PLEASE STOP BY AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS.
The northwest lost one of its great artists early on Friday, April 28th after a sudden and unexpected battle with cancer, just 11 days after his 65th birthday.
Having traveled the world with his parents from an early age, Rick was especially influenced by the 3 years spent in Japan. This brought great inspiration and later began his art journey professionally in 1975. As Richard grew up, his father was influential and provided early teaching in the areas of jewelry design and reproduction of vintage pieces.
The Bellingham resident was known nationally for his multi-media pieces as far back as 1985. This recognition came from pieces with oils, watercolors, ink on paper and canvas, as well as drawing, and stone etching. Some of his finest work included detailed stone etchings and large watercolors of ancient ruins and archeological locations he visited through his lifetime. His art education included several southwest colleges including the University of Albuquerque, private studies at UCLA, and several others. Along the path of his education he also learned museum quality framing and art restoration skills.
Richard’s works were shown at several one man shows in over 15 locations, most recently at several Bellingham Washington based galleries, and additional group shows in dozens of surrounding galleries. His works have been on display worldwide, from Greece to Mexico, Japan, and across Europe.
His talents included popular jewelry designs created from vintage pieces, which incorporated skilled bead work, metals, and exotic stones. Beyond vintage jewelry, Richard also created his own casting and molds formed from acrylic painted polymer clay, giving the appearance of carved stone. Many of these pieces included what Richard called “found objects” which were laid side by side with natural stones and select gems. His artistic talent exhibited a rare ability to incorporate many materials which were always changing, and in each appearance, a brilliant result.
Settling in Bellingham with his long-time husband and companion of 42 years Jim Rich, Richard became deeply involved in the Fairhaven district, posing as the model for the bronze “Dirty Dan” statue on the Fairhaven Village Green. Jim often portrayed Dirty Dan at district celebrations, with his ragged costumes and distinctive hat in the company of the Fairhaven Ladies of the Evening Association, a twelve-member group of local women who wore historical garb from the 1890’s and celebrated the original business owners of Fairhaven and their high-class brothels. The group appeared annually in the well known Ski to Sea parade. Jim and Rick also led many historical tour groups through the Fairhaven district.
Rick’s artistic expression paralleled the essence of human existence; representing the past with his artistic honor of human civilizations and an awareness of the present by utilizing “found objects”. These objects included everything from pieces of driftwood to abandoned shards of pottery. His life’s work as well as his constant education of other young artists centered around the appreciation of art in all of its forms; such passion will ensure that his techniques and knowledge will be protected to continue well into the future.
“This is why I enjoy the historical preservation and tours of Fairhaven”, he said.Rick preferred a less modern approach to life, leaving his husband Jim to take care of his internet presence. He rarely drove and enjoy using a cellphone. His focus was on the art he loved so much despite technology becoming more useful in the later years of his life.
He is survived by husband, Jim, his “Other” Mother JoAnn Bulman, Ricann Bock, Luke Bulman, numerous other loving friends and relatives far and near.
In Richard’s Words
The arts have always been a part of my life. My parents are talented visual artists and our home was filled with their drawings, paintings, sculptures and hand made costumes. My step-father was an air force navigator who traveled widely and collected art from around the world. My step mother is a popular two and three d artist who has shown professionally for years. A 3 year stay in Japan had a strong influence on my artistic esthetic. A strong sense of composition was really my only natural artistic gift and it took years of encouragement and hard work for me to become proficient at drawing and painting.
My goal as an artist is to instill in another the beauty I find in life; whether it be through color, texture or line. I hope that those who interact with my work feel a part of me and my artistic vision. My approach to picture making is unusual in that instead of choosing one medium to explore a subject with I use several mediums to explore different aspects of a subject. Often I’ll use drawing and etching to study the linear aspects of a scene then work with water colors to explore light and color before moving on to an oil painting with its richness of tone, depth and detail.
I enjoy the challenges presented by the different mediums, whether it be the varying textures of paper and canvas or the unique characteristics of oils, pastels water colors and inks. “The Dancer” and “Veiled Dancer” are examples of using the texture of the paper and controlled application of water colors to create the effects of light and shadow on a figure draped in several types and colors of cloth.
Even a brief perusal of my work and one recognizes a tremendous variety of mediums. All of my work regardless of the medium that I have chosen reflects my dedication to realism as expressed by the many masters of the Renaissance. Quite often I will do a piece as an etching and then execute the same image as a pastel, watercolor or oil. Other times the image itself informs the medium. Many of my works, particularly the large oils, are scenes from ancient ruins in places I have visited. Typically I do watercolors and then work from sketches and photographs when I return to my studio.
The desire to create realistic images of the human form has also driven my development as an artist. Through many years of studying technique, life drawing and anatomy I have developed a stylistic approach that produces pieces with a strong realism and a deep emotional content. I strongly believe that the human form is one of nature’s greatest expressions.
I have been painting and engraving on stone for about 5 years now, beginning with a series of architectural studies of the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park. In January of ’09 I started a new series of figure studies. I begin each piece by studying the stones unique colors and surface contours to find just the right fit with the subject. Often the stone will strongly influence the choice of subject and composition of the piece. Next I transfer my drawing onto the stone and use an etching stylus to engrave the outlines into the surface. The final step is using acrylic paint to fill in details, light and shadow, giving the subject a sculpted, 3d look. I sometimes use the stylus and sandpaper to remove paint and highlight the stone surface.
I am really enjoying working with this new technique as it combines my experience with painting and printmaking as well as my love of stone.