RICHARD WURL, ARTIST: "THE DAYDREAMER" (#1) - Pen and Colored Ink Wash, Colored Pencil, circa 1963-64

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

"THE DAYDREAMER" (#1) - Pen and Colored Ink Wash, Colored Pencil, circa 1963-64

"The Daydreamer" (#1), (circa 1963-64) - 10" x 9"

This humorous study from the early 1960's highlights Richard's delight in depicting human anatomy -- specifically the female form. The 'Daydreamer' himself is certainly a representation of Richard, and surrounding the artist are a bevy of beautiful nude women, apparently preoccupying his every waking thought, hence the rapturous smile. The dark physical appearance of the artwork is not merely yellowing from age, but due to the choice to use a dark brown art board as the base.

The details below reveal Richard's adept technique regarding the female nude.

"The Daydreamer" (#1), details

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RICHARD WURL, ARTIST

This blog celebrates the artistic talents of Richard "Dick" Wurl (1930-2012). I am just beginning to sort through a vast catalog of his personal artwork in my possession since his passing, ranging from sketches, drawings, paintings, greeting card illustrations, posters, and portraits, in a variety of mediums (pencil, ink, pastels, watercolors, acrylics, oils, etc...) . Richard graduated from the Famous Artists School in the 60's, and never failed to amaze and inspire with his abilities, often rendering instantly recognizable images from nature in a matter of a few simple pencil strokes and a matter of seconds.

Richard drew when ever he could, almost everyday of his life, to keep his skills sharp. He knew that the artist, as with everyone, never stops learning, and he enjoyed expanding his artistic horizons whenever possible. The volume of artwork he left requires much curation, which I am pleased to do. To sort and order these works entails much time and diligent stewardship on my part, and as time allows I will post his work here, in no particular order.

RICHARD WURL'S ARTISTIC GIFT

Richard was a student of the natural world, and taught himself to become an expert of sorts regarding the many varieties of plant and animal life abundant in nature, and he could differentiate these varieties in his visual depictions. One of Richard's artistic strengths was to distill a complex form and portray it on paper in a few simple lines. He learned how to look at his subjects (for example a bird, such as a sparrow) with a quick glance, and storing that image in his memory, instantly transforming that image into a few quick, simple pen or pencil lines, easily recognized. He knew those details that made his artworks of a sparrow different from a chickadee, a fox from a wolf, a deer from a horse,, etc., and yet could transform those unique individual details into a few basic strokes. This, ultimately, was at the core of Richard's artistic gift, a gift he would continually downplay, never bragging, yet always delighting.