Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Richard Hamwi studied at Queens College, CUNY (BA -Cum Laude), the University of New Mexico (MA), the University of California, Santa Barbara, (MFA) and the Pennsylvania State University (Ph.D.). His first one person exhibit in New York City was in 1976 at the Parsons-Dreyfuss Gallery. Since then he has had over thirty solo exhibits including galleries and museums in NYC, Washington, D.C., and State College, Pennsylvania. His work has also been shown extensively in juried group exhibits including: “Art of the State: Pennsylvania, 2005”, State Museum of Pennsylvania; The Chautauqua National Juried Exhibition; Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition; “The Art of Drawing,” Staempfli Gallery, NYC; “American Abstract Drawings:1930-1987” a traveling exhibition organized by the Arkansas Arts Center and “Works on Paper: Collage,” The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.
Richard’s work is included in several permanent collections including the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution; The Phillips Collection; and The Italian Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
He has had residencies at several artists’ colonies including the Yaddo Colony,
the Millay Colony and the Vermont Studio Center.
Hamwi has written papers on various aspects of the teaching of studio art and art education which have been presented at national conferences.
His academic career includes teaching at the Pennsylvania State University,
Cumberland College, Mansfield University, Mercyhurst College and his current appointment at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Artist's Statement
My approach to drawing and painting explores variations on themes derived from nature and experience. Each piece initially evolves from a feeling or a conceived image, although a more individual theme unfolds according to the nature of my thoughts and feelings during the process of realizing the image.
My primary visual concerns are the relationships among shape, tone and color during the process of creating each piece. The primary media in which I work are watercolor and ink with collage often integrated into the creative process. I think of drawing and collage as being intimately related. Matisse said, “Collage is drawing with scissors”.
That I maintain a sense of adventure is central to the life of my work. I find challenge and joy in creating images that may imply sources of inspiration, such as landscape, architecture, music and poetry.
Richard Hamwi,