About the Exhibit

(Portland, ME) Richard Boyd Art Gallery is pleased to present the fourth annual solo exhibition of watercolor paintings by noted artist Randy Eckard on June 2 at 10:00 a.m.

Raised in North Carolina, Randy studied at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida and the Haywood School of Craft in Clyde, North Carolina. A trained commercial and fine artist living in Blue Hill, Maine his career as a fine artist working exclusively with watercolors spans more than three decades. 

Known for his use of light and shadow, with the subject of most of his paintings being light and how it defines and shapes the scene before him, Randy’s watercolors capture the timeless beauty and charm of Maine’s architecture and landscapes.

For the second year in a row, Randy was selected by “STATE 23 MEDIA staff in collaboration with a jury panel of art experts” as one of Maine’s most noteworthy artists for “Maine Home and Design Magazine’s artmaine Annual Guide.”  Winning over 190 awards for his paintings in watercolor throughout New England and the Southeast, his work is widely collected and included in numerous private and corporate collections.

The exhibit is open free of charge between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. daily June 2nd through June 29, 2020.

About Randy Eckard

When asked about his career as an artist Randy replied, “I am closing in on forty years of working with watercolors. For several years I was fascinated by the versatility and wonder of drawing with pencil, and pen and ink. An HB pencil, a kneaded eraser, and a sheet of bristol board, opened up a world or exploration in black and white. At the urging of a friend I tried adding watercolor to the early stages of my drawings, and I was soon painting more than drawing. My love of drawing never diminished, and continues with quite detailed drawings in preparation for painting.

Inspirations pour in from the beautiful and dramatic coastline of Downeast Maine, where I have lived for the past twenty-seven years. The drawings, watercolors, and tempera paintings of Andrew Wyeth, have guided and fostered my sensibilities for most of my years as a painter. Reading about the techniques of drybrush and glazing, brought to the forefront by Wyeth, revealed a method of working with watercolor where my love of drawing could be paired with my new-found love of watercolor.

As a young boy, growing up in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, I began noticing and responding to the warm glow and cool, contrasting shadows of late afternoons. Those early observations of light would become the focus of my paintings. Light reveals the character, color, and texture of objects, whether man-made or natural, and the alternation of lighted and shadowed planes produce powerful repeated patterns and are an important element of design.

Early on I realized how quiet observation would most always reveal the life of a subject, and I learned to pay attention to sparks of inspiration, often arriving unexpectedly during my solitary wanderings along the backroads of coastal Maine.”

Eckard said, a recent meeting with a couple from Florida, who subsequently purchased one of my paintings, summed up the essence of my work in one short sentence. “It looks wonderful, so blissfully relaxing and inviting, with a hint of mystery.”

About The Gallery

Richard Boyd Art Gallery is an owner operated fine arts gallery located on Peaks Island in Portland, ME. The gallery represents a diverse group of established and emerging artists with a connection to the state of Maine, creating original works of visual art in a range of styles from contemporary abstracts to traditional realism.

The gallery exhibits paintings from a variety of genres including still life and landscapes, limited edition bronze sculptures, and a select offering of works in clay. Exhibitions change monthly and include, solo, group, and theme exhibits so clients and visitors always discover something new and exciting when visiting the gallery.

During the months of April through October the gallery is open between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. daily. From November through the end of March the gallery is open between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Additional days and times by chance or scheduled by appointment.

For more information about the exhibit contact the gallery by phone at (207)-712-1097, via email at info@richardboydartgallery.com or visit the gallery’s website at www.richardboydartgallery.com . To view images of works selected for the current month’s exhibit click on the CURRENT EXHIBIT tab.

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 Image: Randy Eckard ~ 'Spaces Between' ~ Original Watercolor on Paper 15" x 20.5"

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