Richard Heys

Richard Heys was born in West Yorkshire and grew up on a farm at the foot of the Pennines. Although he graduated with a degree in Fine Art in 1986 life took him on a long looping journey until he came back to painting in 2007. And so, 21 years after graduating, he gave himself permission to pursue a career as an artist. Richard is a non-figurative painter based in a light-filled studio in Sussex in England, an acorn’s throw from the Ashdown Forest. He paints using print-making tools, brushes and bespoke squeegees. He works to remould inner spaces, to invite attention to and engagement with surface and depth, outer picture and inner soul-space. He aims to create "the painting as a doorway".

His work is in private collections in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and the USA. Solo shows of his paintings have been held in the UK, Germany and Switzerland. In 2017 his work was chosen for the Creekside Open & the National Open Art Exhibition (both in London) and a number of his paintings were selected for the ING Discerning Eye competition in 2015, 2016 & 2021.