Welcome

During the course of a 45-year career, Richard H. Love was inextricably involved with art. During that time he pursued an art career filled to the brim and overflowing. This website serves to document one of his many contributions to the art world - works of his own hands.

The work shown on this website is a kind of summation of a whole career with examples extracted from the efforts of a lifetime. Some of the works are award winners, some have been exhibited several times and others simply adorned his home over the years. These are some of the best of his legacy and many are for sale.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or inquiries and you will receive a response as soon as possible. Thank you.

Selected Works

artist AUTObiography

When I was a little boy of five I lived on a farm in Indiana. Owing to my family’s awareness of my obsession with drawing, they complimented me repeatedly and encouraged me. As highly unusual as it might sound for the exceedingly small town of Schneider, Indiana, I was given the opportunity to make some fairly decent art under the watchful eye of an itinerant teacher, one  Mr. Mckee. He was a very thoughtful and unjealous giver of techniques even for a young boy who loved to draw. The influence was huge. I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to submit my art to a relatively large local art exhibition where I won a first prize.

By the time I reached High School I had earned the title of artist, a nametag of which I was proud. But this was also at the time during which a major change took place which altered my life - my registration for the draft to fulfil my obligations in the military. After a couple of years, I was called into the U.S. Army. It was also at this time that I met and married my now wife of 57 years. Soon I went to Augsburg, Germany in my duty to my country.  From that home-base, my wife and I traveled from country to country throughout Europe and from these historical vantage points, art was opened to me as never before. I pursued every side of it including enrollment in contemporary art classes at the University of Maryland (overseas facilities). I was anxious to get back so I could start school again.  I would enroll at Prairie State college and graduate with my first fine arts degree. Later, I would teach there. I graduated and went on to the University of Illinois where I received a Bachelor degree in art history along with a great deal of art making. From there I continued to make both paintings and sculpture. My schedule was busier than I ever thought it could be but it was worth it because I was gathering secrets on new techniques of both oil and acrylic art. I attended Northwestern University where I received a masters’ degree and began working toward a PhD, while continuing to make paintings and sculpture.

As surprising and unusual as it may seem, this farm boy learned to enjoy the work of many early European and American masters. So it was that the near and far reaches of American art history became the central spine of my art. By mixing the making of my own art with teaching both the practice of art and art history I have felt satisfied.

During the past forty years I have written many books, mostly on the history of American art. I felt totally compelled to accomplish my own art and to rescue some of the great talents I had discovered. In addition to art history and painting, I have made various pieces of sculpture for numerous settings, both large and small, and indoors and outside in the weather. I’ve also made a number of small, personal statuettes. I have also made etchings and countless drawings - a medium I enjoy more than any other form of art because I can work at them any time, night or day.