Richard Terrell is not bound by convention. Not by a long shot. His work is often called outsider art, visionary art. It might also be described as colorful, striking, unusual, political, challenging, provocative. It is also really good art.
Outsider or visionary artists are generally untrained in a formal sense, but rely on life experiences and their own sense of style and composition in the creative process. Terrell's style draws you in with color, materials, a hint of whimsy in some cases, a feeling of fear or concern in others. Some themes touch on religion and politics, two topics some might avoid like the plague, but Terrell is fearless, wading into these risky waters sometimes head on, sometimes from a sideways slant, whimsy and irony coming often into play.
The Antreasian Gallery in Hampden had a small short-run show of Terrel's work.
A red cat outlined in blue glitter looks straight out at the viewer with a nearly human face, beneath the question "Who is?" leaving the viewer to contemplate the answer on a philosophical or purely pragmatic level. The work is fun, approachable, and still asks you to interact, to think, to feel.
"Agent Orange," a wood and paper mixed media work, speaks to the horrors of war on a very personal level, its subject a veteran dying, in pain, from the effects of chemical poisoning. It makes as strong a statement as any written treatise might, but here the emotion is laid bare, raw, visceral.
Only a bit more muted in tone, "Sleep Study" is greens yellows and a bit of blue, curved lines giving softness to an out of body experience, floating figure to talking head declaring "he knows crazy." Serious undertones emerge here, but the overall effect is whimsical. Whimsy looms large in "Gravity Particle Discovered Through Large Hadron Collider." Terrell's mixed media work is roughly round in shape, green and red concentric circles leading to a humanoid form, head shaped like a lemon, riding on a strange creature. A small, open mouthed woman stands on the outermost rim. Not quite what you might have expected of a hydrogen particle. Who knew?
Satan leads Jesus to a large book, in a scene reminiscent of the biblical temptation, the Jesus figure appearing startled, Satan expectant. Large blocks of primary colors give this untitled work strength and power. "Arab Spring" relies more on pastel tones, without losing any of the strength that might imply. A man stands to the left nearly hidden a large waveform, at first an amplifier, again a force carrying him forward. The sense of movement and possibility is palpable.
Richard Terrell's vision is complex and approachable. He will draw you in with his colors and keep you there, drawing emotion from you, making you laugh, or even cringe.
Find a chance to see his work. And leave some of those conventions behind.
