Richard Toft

"The creation of a painting or drawing is a meditation allowing me to stay in a timeless moment. When I am working, I find myself apart from the distraction of the past and the uncertainty of the future. It is an island of silence: an oasis that allows me to contemplate a world apart from my everyday reality. Hopefully, my finished work allows the observer to share this experience of inner peace."

Richard Toft lives in a maritime environment on the Atlantic Coast of Virginia and his inspiration is taken from that experience. Although his work is grounded in contemporary realism, his fascination is centered in the traditions of Old-World craftsmanship as practiced by egg tempera painters during the Renaissance. Contemporary masters such as the late Andrew Wyeth continue to motivate Toft.

The properties of egg tempera make it the perfect medium for Toft to explore the language of form and to express his emotions in that language. It is possible to layer an infinite number of glazes into a "weaving" that has a distinctive luminosity. Intricate textures and the linear properties of the medium allow him to create the exacting detail that is characteristic of and admired in his work.

As a student in landscape architecture, Toft was introduced to the Beaux Arts approach to architectural illustration, which combines precision drawing with watercolor. As architectural design raced forward into a new digital era, his interests went back to the fine art of the egg tempera painters in the Renaissance. He developed a passion for intricate drawings combined with precise layers of color.