Richard Winkler - Featured Artist

Richard Winkler was born in 1969, Norrkoping Sweden. He studied graphic design and illustration at the Beckmans School of Design in Stockholm. For a couple of years he was working as an illustrator for advertising and magazines, mostly using Winsor & Newton’s Artists Water Colour and Gouache.

It was during this time he discovered the world of art and painting. He slowly started to develop his own unique painting style. Earlier works were more abstract and painted in Artists' Acrylic colours.  

Richard works with many thin layers of transparent colours with a glazing technique. This creates deep and intense colours which have become his signature. To speed up the slow painting technique he uses Liquin as a medium.

In 1997 he moved to Bali, Indonesia, and became a full time painter. He lives there permanently with his Indonesian wife and their two daughters.

Since his move in 1997 Richard has held numerous exhibitions and participated in several art fairs in South East Asia. He is a sought after artist and his paintings are often seen in auction houses, such as Christie’s and Borobodur in the region.   

As Winkler’s artwork became more detailed and figurative, he needed to work longer with the paint. At that time he shifted to Artists' Oil Colour and has been using them ever since. 

Richard Winkler's studio space 

Richard Winkler's Work

Richard’s work is a celebration of life and fertility, like a visual poem about the relation of man and nature, struggling and trying to find balance and harmony. All his figures, and the landscape as well, are described in tubular forms with sensual if not erotic undercurrents.

Winkler is fascinated by the pastoral life of the Balinese peasant. Bathing au naturel by the river or the preparation of tumbling rice terraces are among his popular themes. All are framed by the exuberant jungle and the mystery of distant volcanoes. Even in these scenes humans and animals appear as tubular humanoid beings as resembling plants as much as they do their own species.

Behind the initial impressions of beauty and exoticism there are several layers of poignant emotions including a strong dose of northern European angst. His visions of the tropical world carry themes of decay and danger questioning the relationship between humans, plants and animals.

Winkler is clearly intrigued by the extreme conditions of the tropics. While on one hand the nature is beautiful and luscious, the sun’s rays provide strong light and colours, on the other hand it can also bring danger: the rain is heavy, the insects are miserable, the volcanoes erupt, the land is prone to earth quakes, landslides, and so on. The artist presents both the beauty and vanity of the Garden of Eden in his works.

In the Island of Paradise, one can easily become satisfied, contented, and complacent. Yet, a true artist will always face the challenge of managing the delicate balance of humanity and embark on adventures to explore and construe the truth of the Garden of Eden.

Also visit my website at www.richardwinkler.com