Portraits: Alan M. Richards

Artist Statement

My work may be classified as photomontage. It uses multiple photographic images, segments of images, drawings, vectors, or clips that are fused to create a single composite image. The images may be playful, satirical, or of a more serious nature.   I try to tell a story with each image. My artwork represents the human condition. It reflects how I view events and the interaction between people and the world.

My work is primarily based on photographic images. I either take the images myself or I use found/vintage or other images combined with my images. The images are  supplemented by drawing to bring the various elements into a single image. I enjoy the work of Edward Hopper, Rene Magritte, and David Hockney, and see my work falling somewhere between all three artists.

I look for the unusual in a person or persons. It’s not whether a person is fat or skinny, one color or another, or any other physical attribute. It’s a special aspect of an individual which makes them appear to me to be special. It’s their human quality that attracts me.

I do not have a set pattern about how an image grows. I guess it is organic in that elements of the final image change over the time I’m working on the picture. Sometimes, an entire background will change, or elements will be added or deleted. The end goal is to create an image with visual interest. I may start out with some notion of the potential look of the final piece, but that often changes as the piece progresses.