Meet the Artist on September 14th, 5pm to 7pm!

Richard Seidel is known for his lively figurative paintings that are inspired by the bright and beautiful colors of St. Petersburg’s downtown and beaches, coastal vacations and artist residencies abroad.

Extensive travel, particularly during idyllic artist residencies, has afforded Richard Seidel the opportunity to paint in some of the most luxurious destinations in the world.  His compositions of people at leisure, mostly frolicking on the beach or gathering in familiar tourist spots, exude an optimistic spirit. 

Seidel’s gestural scenes, in the spirit of early 20th century French painter Raoul Dufy, remind us of our own travel memories, yet the figures and details have qualities that suggest a more romantic time.  Subtle details like striped swimming attire, and festooned hats hint at 19th century paintings of the leisure class, on location in some of the most fashionable places in Europe.

A long-time resident of Pinellas County, Richard loves to sketch and paint his beloved adopted home. You may recognize familiar landscapes and local scenes in the work on view here.

Seidel’s paintings have been exhibited extensively in St. Petersburg and Tampa, as well as Miami and Los Angeles, and the artist is represented by galleries in Sarasota, St. Petersburg and Columbus, Ohio.  He was honored with an Award of Distinction from the Morean Arts Center and completed the prestigious Creative Capital Foundation Program in New York in 2013.  He has completed artist residencies in Spain, Italy, Ireland, England and France, and his work hangs in the Florida Capitol building.