Richard Thorn R.I., SWAc was born in Torquay, Devon, in 1952. He began his artistic journey with drawing, sketching the coastline and countryside around him, driven by a deep affinity for nature. Although he spent a short time at art college, he is principally self-taught, and his early discipline in observational drawing remains central to his painting practice.
Before becoming a full-time painter, Richard worked professionally as a jazz guitarist in London. In the early 1980s he returned to his first love - painting - and committed to it fully. His ability to interpret light, distance and atmosphere with clarity has made him one of the UK's most respected watercolourists.
He works primarily in watercolour but frequently incorporates gouache, inks and acrylic to develop richness, texture and contrast in his landscapes. His subject matter spans coastal views, rural lanes, fields and open skies - always with a strong sense of mood and place.
Richard's work has been exhibited widely across the United Kingdom, and also in the United States, Asia and Europe. He is a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI) and the South West Academy of Fine & Applied Arts (SWAc).
He has twice won the RI's Best Watercolour award at the Mall Galleries (in 2016 and 2017). In 2016, he published Down an English Lane, a book of his watercolour paintings celebrating the British countryside. Richard also teaches courses and workshops for artists, and he continues to take commissions through his studio.