Richard Newill
1951 – 2014
American
Artist Richard Newill graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, PA, in 1972 but did not begin his professional art career until the 1990s when he was in his forties. Newill was enraptured with the work of classical Master Artists and studied their work closely. He was particularly interested in still lifes and strove to capture the realism he saw through precise composition and rich color. The ever-consummate student, Newill enjoyed a largely self-taught art educational journey later in life as he explored endless possibilities of painting techniques in his Pennsylvania studio. To Newill, every brushstroke was important, and he strove to find beauty in the overlooked and mundane by creating rich oil paintings that one could almost touch, taste or smell. Newill once stated, “Good details make a painting a feast for more than just the eyes.”
Richard Newill was a member of several East Coast-based artist associations, including the American Artists Professional League in New York City and the Allied Artists of Johnstown, PA. In 2008, Newill was selected by Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha to create a Christmas ornament for a White House Christmas tree. Also an avid sports fan, Newill painted two portraits for the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team’s front office in 2012. Newill resided in East Conemaugh, PA, and died in 2014.
