Richard Schmid

Richard Schmid was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1934. His earliest artistic influence came from his maternal grandfather, Julian Oates, an architectural sculptor. Richard’s initial training in landscape painting began at the age of twelve with the Chicago painter Gianni Cilfone. Subsequent studies in anatomy and figure drawing allowed his entrance at eighteen into the American Academy of Art in Chicago where he continued into the full range of classical techniques under William H. Mosby. William Mosby, a graduate of the Belgian Royal Academy in Brussels and the Superior Institute in Antwerp, was a technical expert on European and American realism. Studies with him involved working exclusively from life, at first using the conceptual and technical methods of the Flemish, Dutch, and Spanish masters, and eventually all of the late 19th century European and American painters. Throughout his career, which saw fifty one-man shows, Richard Schmid has promoted art education through his books, articles, workshops, seminars, and television presentations. He travels widely for his subjects, and currently lives in New Hampshire with his wife, the painter Nancy Guzik. Richard holds a Doctorate in Fine Art and is a recipient of The John Singer Sargent Medal for Lifetime Achievement. Since the publication of his landmark book on landscape painting in 2009, Richard has been involved in two major projects. The first, in 2011, was a very large painting of Abbotsford House, the Manor home of Sir Walter Scott in Scotland, which won a viewing and praise from HRH Queen Elizabeth during grand re-opening ceremonies of the house and visitors center. The second project, begun in 2011, was the new expanded edition of Alla Prima, ALLA PRIMA II, completed in 2013, and now in its second printing. Additionally, exhibitions of Richard’s art were mounted at the National Academy of Science on Cape Cod, and Wellesley College in Boston.