Richard McPherson

?In the year of 1967 I saw a calendar with a painting on and it drew my attention immediately and when I said to my colleagues that I was going to paint the picture on the calendar they laughed at me. But deep in my heart I knew that art is my passion. I did the painting and showed it to my family and friends, they were all impressed with the painting and asked me who had taught me how to paint. I received a lot of complements, I did the painting with no perspective and without a sketch I just took the brushes and started to do my first oil painting. A friend of mine asked me should I not sketch before I paint ? that?s how much I knew about painting. I took the painting to an art dealer in Adderley Street, Cape Town. He looked at the painting and I could read his face and he did not seem very impressed. He sent me to Mr. Pierre Volschenk, he was an art inspector in the so-called coloured schools in 1968, and he asked me if I would like to become an artist, I immediately said YES. He applied for a bursary though the Coloured Affairs for me, it was denied because I had not studied art before. Pierre decided to help me without the Coloured Affairs. I will never forget his words that day, ?Richard to hell with them I will help you.? And that is where my art started, my new beginning. Pierre taught me a lot about art, colour mixing and how to sketch. He was a great teacher and gave me homework to sketch pine trees and old buildings. That?s where I met Conrad Theys, a student artist; we sketched District Six, before they demolished it. A few month later Pierre was transferred to Johannesburg and I was back to square one, but my passion for art was still alive, deep inside me. In 2000 I saw an advert on the notice board at Kuilsriver Station of an art teacher who was looking for students, I immediately phoned for an appointment. I started attending art school in Kuilsriver at the Marionette Adamson School of art for 2 years. From then on I never looked back, my improvement was excellent. Marionette motivated me and I will always remember her works ?Al Goeter en Goeter? translated into Gets better and better. She was a real inspiration.?