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According to Don Ricks, "it's not what you paint
but how you paint that counts". His are paintings
of singular vision: pastoral, brilliant, impressionistic
landscapes and still lifes suffusing with light,
depth, and texture.
Ricks studied art at the University of Utah but
postponed his art career due to fatherhood and
started a sign painting business. Finally at 39, he
exchanged the sign painting brushes for oil
brushes and canvas. Ricks ran summer artist
workshops at his home, one hour from
Yellowstone National Park and through these
experiences Ricks realized "it is vital to discover
your own direction as an artist and constantly
strive for that".
Ricks' still lifes offer tables laden with the fruits of
the harvest, exploding with exuberant light and
color. Baskets and platters of peaches, melons,
and apples, all ripe for the taking, spill over onto
the ground like a lush carpet. And it's all dappled
through cottonwoods and aspens. It's a singular
vision - a hard-won quality of focus that will
continue to set Ricks' work apart from others.
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