Richard Downs

Minotaur 395

2021

Richard Downs transfigures steel, twisted wire, painting and printmaking into a visual mythology celebrating human connectedness. Classically trained, Downs emerged from Art Center Pasadena as an accomplished printmaker and visual storyteller. He is inspired by Russian Constructivism and the “Kustomizer” car culture of the 1950s and 60s. "I strive to obtain the perfect line, the perfect smudge of spontaneity. Some lines are conscious and other marks come from somewhere unpretentious and unconscious. I want the viewer to see the archetypal relationship of the figures at first read and then to metaphorically feel the connection to themselves and to the world around them." Downs is a graduate of Art Center College of Design, where he was also a faculty member for six years. He currently teaches in the Applied Art & Design department at Sierra College and Online Illustration classes for the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. Downs has worked with multiple national periodicals and newspapers ranging from Smithsonian Magazine to the New York Times and international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations publication divisions. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Society of Illustrators Museum in New York and American Illustration. During his more than 30 years of dedication to the fine arts, Downs exhibits his sculptures, etchings and paintings throughout the United States.