Will Richards

Medium: Ceramics / Lamps

Creative Beginnings: I never had thoughts of being an artist on career day. I oscillated between becoming a pilot or a surveyor. Clearly, I wasn’t destined to be inside or doing paperwork. My father was a physicist and had a shop filled with intrigue and wonder. I paid attention to his problem solving activities. He first took me sailing at nine years old — I was hooked after planing with a thrill-stricken grin. 

Artistic Path: When cleaning out the family home, I was surprised to see the collection of my very early drawings, birds and planes, but not Superman. 

After years of lobbying to get a boat, I made one out of the remnants of our bump-out dining room addition. Using only hand tools, I built an inner tube-supported craft and sailed it twice. Inner tubes in windy conditions push a lot of water, mostly sideways. The point is, I wanted it and made it happen. I was 12. 

In 9th grade, I caught the bug in an art class. Realizing I liked making stuff, but didn’t like the discipline of precise rendering, I worked it until it felt right. 

The rest of high school was adrift in music, girls, drinking, and skiing. 

College found me dropping out of calculus and spending hours in the ceramic studio. It was there that the concept of earning an MFA would qualify one to be a college professor. 

So that was my path:

  • St. Mary’s College freshman year

  • Western State College of Colorado in Gunnison for four quarters

  • BFA, University of Minnesota, 1978, in Studio Arts

  • MFA, Ceramics University of Washington Seattle, 1981, (I began windsurfing there in Seattle, raising two daughters with my wife of 48 years)

Two main bodies of work have supported my family: The plates (1978-2008), and the lamps (1994-2023). When giving out a brochure, I’ll tell them ,”It’s Mostly True!” but after the Tunnel 5 Fire, I can prove nothing. 

Favorite Quote: “Inspiration is for amateurs.” Chuck Close

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