Richard Rowan

Richard's studio is at the end of the garden at his Victorian house near Wimbledon. From where he stands, he can see his children playing in the house and garden; this is important to him, as he wants them to be a part of his creative journey. His son's fear of lightning inspired him to paint artworks depicting this natural phenomenon, whilst his daughter's panoramic photographs pushed him to explore his scenes from different viewpoints. His family are also represented in his paintings by stars and birds.

He is known for his back-to-front painting technique, whereby he paints in oils on the opposite side of the glass. Used by decorative painters in the 19th century to embellish luxury furnishings, this painstaking method sees Richard completely reverse the traditional painting layers, starting with the foreground and the finer details before working backwards into the background. To achieve this, he has created his own tools, including cutting the handles of paintbrushes so he can work underneath the glass. The glass is baked in a makeshift box after each layer, where it dries out over two weeks before Richard scratches out the paint and removes layers with a palette knife to add detail. On each of Richard's original artworks is a transparent viewing panel to allow collectors to see the process behind their creation. 

Experimentation is a key factor of Richard's artistic evolution: he experimented with acetates at university before painting on discarded glass whilst working at Formula One. Wherever he is in the world, he takes reference photographs and sketches, which he transforms when painting his finished work. Each original painting becomes littered with post-it notes as Richard adds details and ideas. All of his pieces are created whilst listening to music, which can include anything from classical piano by the Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi to songs from the Batman soundtrack. You can find out which song Richard listened to by clicking on the individual artwork. 

Richard says: “I do like to challenge myself with difficult work. Painting in oil on glass can make you want to tear your hair out, but it is also satisfying at the same time. When I sit down to paint, I want to paint better than the last time; pushing the boundaries of what I can do. Once I finish a painting, I want people to look at the piece and be drawn in and find themselves in my work.”