Gulf Coast Library to Exhibit Hand Pulled Prints by Michael Richardson

News item published on: 2016-10-19 13:50:50

The Gulf Coast Library at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach will exhibit etchings and engravings by Gulfport printmaking artist, Michael Richardson.

The exhibit, 50 Prints/40 years, will be on display from Nov. 1 through Jan. 30, 2017, with an exhibit opening and reception Wednesday, Nov. 16, from 5 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

50 Prints/40 years reflects Richardson’s long love affair with a medium made famous by such artists as Rembrandt and Albrecht Durer, as well as a small number of contemporary practitioners.

Working directly on a piece of copper, Richardson creates an image on a metal plate that is then hand-printed to produce a limited number of copies. He says that he approaches his printmaking primarily as a drawing medium, which he uses to express his reflections on subjects ranging from social commentary to the surreal world of the subconscious.

Deeply influenced by European art while spending his secondary school period near Nurnberg Germany, Richardson continued his studies in printmaking with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in printmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art. He then spent a year in London studying at the Central School of Art and later earned a Master of Fine Art in printmaking from Tulane University.

Richardson has been the recipient of several awards and fellowships, including multiple Fulbright Fellowships and Artist Fellowships from both the Mississippi and Maryland State Arts Commissions. Because he worked as a professional puppetry artist from 1977–2016, he decided to wait until this time to exhibit his print work to the public.

Beginning in 2015, Richardson began teaching Art Appreciation at Southern Miss Gulf Park and plans to offer a drawing workshop in the 2017 spring semester.

For more information on the exhibit, contact Betty Shaw, access services financial coordinator at the Gulf Coast Library, at 228.214.3450.