In his eightieth year, Richard Stout continues to produce inspired abstract paintings, rich with affect and beautifully interpreting his native Texas coast.  His most recent output is on display in a stunning new exhibition entitled Return to the Sea, and the results, as we have come to expect from this gifted artist, are nothing short of incredible.

As these works reflect, Stout is inextricably bound to the Texas coast.  Perhaps no other Southern painter has made the Gulf so central to their life’s work.  Certainly no other Texas painter has so beautifully captured the nuances of a coastal homeland with more grace and fidelity, and so aptly utilized this innate sense of place to explore and punctuate a personal philosophy, spirituality and sublimity in art. 

But of course, Richard Stout is from here, and he is one of us.  Born and raised in Beaumont, he incurred only a brief out-of-state respite to complete studies at the Chicago Art Institute and then settled in Houston in 1956.  He has painted and has taught in the city for the sixty years since then.  From his earliest childhood until the ravages of Hurricane Katina, Stout communed often at his family’s modest Boliver cabin near Rollover Bay.  As Texans are transformed by the lands within which they come of age, Stout was no different. The Bolivar coast and its surrounds were indelibly carved into an artistic psyche, profoundly influencing his painting repertoire and commentary.  Coastal retreats recur as points of departure for innumerable Stout paintings, and he returns time and time again to sacred places by the sea as backdrops for his superbly executed, intimate statements in art.

Stout’s most recent works are simply exceptional, and may indeed rank among the very finest of his long and distinguished career.  As always, his works are ethereal and elegant.  They are masterfully painted, and resonate with the rich, yet subtle colors, light and atmospheric effects found within the familiar salt flats, bays and inlets South and East of town.  His paintings represent beautifully layered narratives told through their exquisite use of line, form and paint.  Alternatively mixing abstracted imagery within mystic fields of color, and then segmenting with strong geometric demarcation, Stout builds compositions that are interestingly complex and carefully regimented. He achieves incredible interplay of light and atmosphere to stunning effect.  The finished efforts are indeed “really something to see”.

Richard Stout has already achieved a well-earned reputation as one of the City’s most respected and accomplished painters.  In Return to the Sea, the cache of Stout newest works only serves to underscore the absolute appropriateness of all accolades past, as work after work aptly demonstrates his remarkable skills of composition and his uncompromising command of paint and color.  The works shown also convey the artist’s continuing interactions with and intractable draw to the wondrous dimensions of his own personal coastline.  It is always uplifting to know that we still have masters at work in our own midst, and that is why Stout’s Return to the Sea merits the attention of all who appreciate the uncommon vision and finely honed talent of a truly fine artist. 

Thus, we extend invitations to join us in celebrating the most recent works of Richard Stout.

Exhibition Dates and Special Events at WRFA

On view October 30-November 28, 2015

Collector Preview Weekend: October 30-31, 10am-5pm

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 7, 6-8:30pm

Artist Talk: Saturday, November 21, 2-4pm